


Legendary Maneuvers

by lifein10s



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Sports, Athletes, Divorce, Female Friendship, Fluff, Football, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Sex, Marriage, POV Female Character, Romance, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Sports, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-08-31 00:40:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8555866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lifein10s/pseuds/lifein10s
Summary: After years of waiting for a promotion that never arrives Robin Locksley accepts a job as the head coach of The Chicago Bliss, a woman's football team. Despite his wife's initial resistance, Regina finds herself charmed; if not by the game itself then by the team's key player, Emma Swan. Sports AU, football. SwanQueen.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> Let me first say that I'm sorry to all of you Skyline readers! There is a slight delay but I'm working on a new chapter and it should be up soon.
> 
> This is me making it up to you! This fic has a funny story to it… I was on YouTube and somehow I came across a thing called The Legends Football League (also known as the Lingerie football league) or in its abbreviation, The LFL. At first I was shocked, unable to stop myself from cringing at the sometimes crazy amount of aggression and violence (and almost nakedness). After I got over the initial cringiness I came to the conclusion that it's pretty hot (in its own bizarre way) and could make a good story.
> 
> And that's how we arrived to this point. It started as a one-shot, a mid-size one, but the next time I looked at the word-count it was already around 20k. Not a one shot then…
> 
> The story will be a little crass at times, mostly during and as part of the game (sexual innuendos and connotations, physical and verbal violence) but overall it's a pretty light story. It might feel a little unconnected (time jumps) at first (since Emma and Regina don't know each other yet) but it will settle once we dive into the story. 
> 
> It's a sport's related story so I do recommend watching even if just one video of the LFL just so you get the general idea of this controversial sport. It does, unfortunately, contain some OutlawQueen but you'll see pretty soon that it's tolerable.
> 
> Well I think that was long enough ;)
> 
> Enjoy and please let me know how you feel about it. (and excuse any mistake related to football- I'm not American so my research had to be quick and shallow, hope I didn't get anything wrong)

  

 

***

 

"I just don't understand how you would do such thing without consulting me first!"

The tones are high and extremely unpleasant and she is glad Roland isn't home.

"I didn't do anything yet. But, I am informing you that I plan on accepting that offer."

"This is a mistake" she determines and she so desperately wants to grab Robin and shake him out of whatever haze he is in at the moment. Instead she takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

"Why would you do such thing to your career?" Honestly if she can't talk some sense into him she might as well try and convince him using his love. Not for her of course, she is on a much lower level. She means his love for football.

"The pay is good" he reasons and she rolls her eyes.

"We don't need the money, I make more than enough for the both of us."

"And you think I'm just going to sit here and do nothing while you support this house?" ugh, that sexist idiot.

"Keep your job then"

"I can't!" he lifts his arms and smack them on his thighs in an act of desperation "I can't go another year as an assistant coach, I refuse to! The head-coach gig was mine and they snatched it right from under my nose. I'm not going to sit there and watch them laugh at me for yet another year. I can't be stuck at the same position anymore, I need a change."

"So your change is getting out of this sport?"

"What are you talking about?" he frowns "The LFL is a legitimate sport."

She snorts, because does he really consider this a valid argument?

"A bunch of masculine women running around in their underwear is a legitimate sport?"

"Have you seen them play? They are more athletic than half of the NFL players."

"I've seen enough to know that all they represent is violence and sexualization of women."

"Can you, for one second, stop being this cartoon of feminism and support your husband for a change?"

And this is the final straw. She grabs her purse and her coat and charges out of the room, anger oozing off of her in waves.

How dare he? She? Not supporting? He can go to hell, because all she has done, for years now, is be the good wife and she's had it.

She fishes out her keys and unlocks her car. Once in a heated environment she reaches for her phone, hands shaking as she dials the number she knows by heart.

"Regina?" Kathryn answers and that's her cue. She bursts into tears, her breathing rapid and eyes swelling.

"I can't" she says and her voice wavers so badly it's barely understandable "I can't do this anymore" she cries into the phone.

"Oh honey, where are you?"

"In my car" she sniffs and it is so unladylike and her mom would probably disown her for doing this.

"Don't drive like this, I'm coming to get you" and she hangs up.

She sits there quietly, staring ahead. After a couple of minutes she composes herself just enough to make a call to Marian. She asks her to drop Roland at their house since something came up and she won't be able to. Of course, Marian is being the doll that she is and agrees right away. Regina thanks her and ends the call. After that it's only a matter of minutes until Kathryn arrives.

She engulfs her in a tight hug and leads her to her own car.

"Come on" she rubs soothing circles on her back "Let's do some shots"

 

***

 

"Ruby" Emma gestured with her head towards the entrance. The brunette quickly jumped off the stool she was sitting on moments prior and made her way behind the counter.

"Hi, what can I get you?" she took the order with her wolfish grin intact, taking the money and depositing it in the till. "Why don't you go sit down and I'll serve it to you once it's ready?"

Ruby started grinding the coffee while shoving the pastries in the heater. She pressed the button and the steaming dark liquid started to fill the cup, its aroma arriving all the way to where Emma was sitting with her now lukewarm coffee. Ruby took the glass from the machine and filled the rest of the remaining space with milk, drawing a leaf using the foam. She balanced the coffee, tea and both pastries on a tray and made her way to table. After making sure everything was okay she got back behind the counter and cleaned the filter from its use.

"So you were saying?" she picked the conversation up and Emma quickly gulped down the coffee in her mouth and excitedly said

"That we start training again in a couple of days." She sighed "God how I've missed it. I'm so out of shape."

At that, Ruby full out laughed. "You? Out of shape?"

She leaned over the counter and squeezed Emma's biceps, finding them rock hard. Not that she is surprised. Even when Emma is off season she keeps a pretty tight workout regime. Starting with long runs every other day, weight lifting and then moving on to use every single piece of equipment in the gym.

Emma nodded "Out of shape Ruby. If I don't bulk out enough the big girls will snap me like a twig"

"Don't worry" Ruby dismissed "You are fast, you can dodge them any day"

"Yeah well, I kinda have to or else they'll break my neck"

They both shared a laugh, despite the fact that Emma wasn't kidding.

 

***

 

"Why _mom_?" Roland wailed.

"Because I said so."

He looked at her with his big brown eyes and she was _this_ close to giving up. But she can't, she will not take her son to watch half naked ladies tackle each other.

"But it's tradition!" he said with such confident, as if that fact alone will make her back down.

"We'll make new traditions." She smiled at him "How about we go watch a movie?" she tried to soften the blow but her baby boy wasn't buying it.

"No!" he stomped his feet and turned to run up the stairs "I hate you! Daddy would've let me!"

A moment later she could hear his door slammed. Usually she wouldn't allow this kind of behavior but she does feel sorry for him. She sighed. Football was Roland and Robin's thing and now it's taken away from him. The only misconception here is that somehow she is the bad person in this scenario and not her idiot of a husband who spends his time coaching girls in skimpy outfits how to beat the crap out of each other.

She made her way to the cabinet and pulled out a glass of wine. Looks like she starts drinking early today.

 

***

 

"Hey kiddo"

"Hey mom"

Henry entered the coffee shop with a backpack hanging on his shoulder. But just on one since apparently it's not cool to put the straps on both of your shoulders. Kids.

She kisses him on the head before ruffling his, already too long, hair.

"Ready?" she asks and he nods enthusiastically.

She steals a glance at the clock "Your dad should be here any minute. Do you want something to eat?" and of course he does. He picks a particularly chocolaty croissant.

"You sweet tooth" she shakes her head.

"I got it from you" he blames and she smiles because he is right, it is from her. She flicks her finger and swipes a large amount of the chocolate on top and he immediately makes a face.

"Hey!" he protests.

"Clam down, just a little taste"

"Who is really the kid here?" he questions and she chuckles in return.  

"That would probably be me" she lifts her hand in an admission.

The bell chimes and Neal enters the store.

"Hey buddy" he says and Henry goes for a hug. Looks like hugging your dad is still socially acceptable but god forbid you hug your mother.

"Hi dad"

"How are you?" he asks, patting his back.

"Good" he looks up at him and smiles "Did you download the next Harry Potter movie?"

"I sure did"

"Cool!" Henry lifts a fist in the air.

Emma sticks her hands in her back pockets and waits for them to finish hugging. Eventually Neal turns and sends her a tentative smile.

"Hey" he greets and she tilts her head in reply.

"How are you?"

"I'm good, I'm good"

"Does the league start anytime soon?" and just like that Emma's face light up.

"Tomorrow actually"

"Awesome"

"Yep" she is rocketing back and forth on her heels. They are in good terms, excellent terms even, but it's still quite awkward, it's bound to be.

"Let me know when the first game is." he wraps his hand around Henry's shoulders and squeezes him in "We'll be there to cheer you up, right Hen?"

"That's right" Henry confirms.

"You go have some fun" she says and right before they're out the door she adds "And don't forget the questions you have for Neal, for your school project"

"Alright Ma" he says and they're gone.

 

***

 

"All I'm saying is that you should come and watch, just once. Still find it unworthy of your time? Don't come back. Just remember that I supported you when you went for a more demanding teaching job, despite it hurting my time with my wife."

She sighs and takes a sip of her wine. Roland is passed out on the couch, exhausted after hiss soccer practice. She sits next to the table and Robin is by her side. They finished dinner but she still hadn't gathered enough energy to get up and start cleaning everything so instead she sits down and listens to her husband trying to talk 'some sense' into her. She should've started with the dishes, this is much worse.

"Fine" she relents because she can't fight anymore. She used to be such a force to be reckoned with, she muses, her word was the last word. But Robin wore her down, a fight after a fight, another disagreement, another strained talk. She is exhausted, tired of fighting all the time, even if she is right. She has no spirit left so she surrenders.

"But I can't come tomorrow, I have papers to grade for Monday"

"Okay" he seems at least partially satisfied "Come sometime during the week, when it's comfortable"

'It's never comfortable' she wants to scream, and 'you shouldn't have taken that stupid job' and 'you're supposed to think a little about what I want, it is my marriage too.'

But she doesn't, so she nods and he gets up and kisses her on the cheek. He leaves the room and she is left with a tower of filthy dishes to wash.

 

***

 

"Hey everyone, I'm Robin and I'm your new head coach"

"He is handsome" Tayla whispers in her ear and she shrugs in return.

"I guess, if you're into that kind of thing"

Tayla chuckles "That's right, I forgot you're a cookie lover". Emma frowns in return.

"You guys keep coming with those stupid names, don't you have anything better to do with your time?"

"I can do you" she cocks her brow suggestively.

"You know my rules"

"Yeah yeah" Kayla rolls her eyes "You don't fuck your teammates"

"That's right"

"Well," she smacks Emma's behind "Let me know if you ever change your mind"

Robin kicks their asses. They're only half way through the practice when he starts yelling at them that he is used to train guys and he has no intention of lowering his expectations one bit. So she pops her mouth guard back in, ignores the sharp stab of pain in her lounges and starts sprinting across the field.

They're all exhausted when it ends but it's Friday night so they stop at the local Irish bar to chug a beer or two. Or four.

When she gets home she has to fight her dropping eyes from taking over. There is no way she is going to bed like this, she stinks.

When her head hits the pillow it is only a matter of seconds before she is asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A pretty light start, but things will get moving pretty quickly. It won't be long until I post the next chapter since I have them lined up. Tell me what you think? :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,
> 
> Apologies for the slight delay- that's what happens when I think I'm going to finish work at a certain time and then I don't :\
> 
> I do want to say one thing. For those of you who criticized me choosing this specific sport instead of others, saying it's sexualizing and sending the wrong message: you're more than entitled to feel that way, I don't ask you as readers to be fans of this sport, all I wanted was for you to have an idea of what you're reading about (there's no need to go all fanatic and watch full games). As for my explanation to why I chose that specific sport; I needed the controversy to kick start the story… If Robin would've coached what Regina considers a 'legitimate football team' Regina wouldn't be triggered to do whatever that she is about to do in this story (No spoilers ;)). I hope the reasoning behind my choice is clearer now…
> 
> Also, one more thing- emphasizing again, there are time jumps, even major ones, so take that under consideration.
> 
> With that out of the way, enjoy :P

 

 "Please make sure you have the basics of this theory right before you jump into the difficult calculations. I will not tolerate simple mistakes and points will be deducted."

She sums up and the students start to pile near her desk to receive their scored tests.

When she finishes handing them out the class is nearly empty. She waits for the last student before locking after herself. She glances at her wrist. She will be late if she doesn't get out now. No changing clothes then.

She parks outside the stadium. Leaving her bag in the trunk she approaches the large concrete monster. Only then she realizes that she has no idea how to enter the place. She basks in the feeling of confusion only for a short moment.

"Lost?" she turns to look at a smiling, young looking blonde. She wears the shortest tights Regina has ever seen, almost completely invisible under a large shirt. She carries two large bags as well as a backpack.

"I'm afraid I don't know where the entrance is" she admits after a moment.

"Where do you need to go?" the blonde bounces up the bags in an attempt to get a better hold.    

"The" she clears her throat "football practice" this is definitely not a football practice but whatever.

"Oh no problem, I'll show you the way"

"I wouldn’t want to cause any trouble-"

"Nonsense" the blonde assures with a smile "I'm heading there anyway"

They start walking towards the right side of the building and only then Regina spots the door, previously hidden behind a large parked van.

"Why?" she asks after minutes of silence.

"I participate in that practice"

Regina's eyebrows shot to her hairline "You're a player?"

"That's right" she smiles proudly.

Regina scans the quite petit woman in front of her "But you are so-"

"Small? Short?" And Regina nods because it's true, but she has also wanted to say feminine. She watched some videos and they were all beasts. Large thighs, round butts, wide mid-section and thick arms. This woman was indeed athletically built but she looked almost breakable. How can she hold her ground around all those large ladies?

"Well," she explains "that's because I'm a wide receiver."

"I'm sorry I-"

"Don't really know the game?" and Regina nods again "It means my strength is in my speed. Catching the ball and running with it towards the end zone is my main thing. I do tackle and get tackled but not as much as the others"

"I see"

"I'm Emma by the way"

"Regina"

"Why are you here, if you don't mind me asking?"

"My husband is your coach"

"Oh so you are Mrs. Locksley"

"Mills"

"Sorry?"

"I go by my maiden name. I'm a professor so changing my name midway seemed futile."

"I see"

They keep walking and Regina frowns at the unending corridor. How long is it?

"What do you teach?" Emma picks the conversation up again.

"Economy"

"Awesome"

Regina chuckles.

"What?" Emma frowns

"I've never heard anyone describe economy as awesome" Emma shrugs in response.

"Go through that door and you'll find your husband" she gestures with her head.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to change" she concludes, turning around, she heads towards to locker rooms.

 

***

 

"Who is this foxy mama?"

Emma came in to the sight of Michelle and Tayla ogling at Regina.

"I have no idea but I want to bend her over, lift that tight pencil skirt and fu-"

"She is Robin's wife" Emma interrupted "So calm the fuck down."

"Fuck" Michelle looked disappointed.

"She does look interested though" Tayla shoved her elbow in Michelle's ribs "You see? She is looking this way."

Emma looked towards the benches and she and Regina locked eyes. The brunettes did a quick look over before returning to her eyes with a small smile accompanied by a nod.

"Damn, Swan has her" Tayla said, not oblivious to their little stare off. "Fuck you and you blonde charm and skinny toned physique" she shoved Emma and the blonde stumbled forward before stabling herself. Regina looked appalled and Emma wanted to laugh. If that's violent in her eyes, she should go now, before they start playing.

"Okay guys" Robin shouted and clapped his hands together to get their attention "Today we're all about moves and steps. Let's spilt you to two teams and start playing some ball."

Emma placed her helmet on, now wearing nothing but shorts, a sports bra and shoulder pads.

Here we go.

 

***

 

Regina kept coming to practices. Twice a week, when Roland was with his nanny. She found that being there kept things calm at the house. She prefers no communication at all rather than fighting about anything and everything.

She will admit it to no one but she started, well loving seems like too strong of a word but, tolerating the game. After watching it for a while you get used to the cringiness affects caused by the game's violent nature and you start seeing past the meaningless tackles and more into athleticism and tactics.

She likes watching Emma the most. Most of the players seem truly angry, cruel you could even say. It honestly looks like they actually draw joy from running head first into another woman, risking her with a brain concussion or a broken rib. But Emma isn't like that, she seems to love the game for the game itself. Of course, she will tackle the hell out of someone if she gets in her way of scoring but she doesn't hurt for the sake of hurting. She almost looks too naïve and fragile for this sport. But despite looking like it, she's rather adapt to the aggressiveness. Regina's heart leaps in her chest every time some girl pushes Emma to the ground, but she's up in no time, getting back to the game with a smile plastered on her face.

Emma has this way of moving around the field; The determination in her eyes, combined with her light feet and rippling muscles send Regina's stomach twisting. She is ashamed to admit it, but watching Emma Swan play turns her on. More than it should, more than she ever imagined, more than her husband ever have liked her to. 

She is sitting on one of the benches when Robin whistles for a break. Emma makes her way towards her bag that is located, ironically, next to Regina's seat. She conquers two steps at a time and she reaches Regina in a matter of seconds.

"Hey" she breathes heavily. She is sweating and her muscles ripple as if on demand. Her stomach clenches and unclenches as she lets air into her lounges, making her packs visible.

"Hi" Regina says back and hands her a bottle of water.

"Thanks" Emma drinks it all in a quick chug, couple of droplets fall on her chin and down to her neck. She pours the rest of the bottle over her head, drenching her sweaty, over-heated body.

"I see you're warming up to this" Emma gestures with her head towards the field, where some of the players sit on the grass, stretching their aching muscles.

"I guess you could say that, only I-" she bites her tongue. That's probably her head playing tricks on her.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's silly"

"Come on" Emma pleads, now intrigued, and she relents.

"It's probably all in my head" she takes a breath, _out with it_ "But I can't help but feel like some of the girls are looking at me like I'm a piece of meat."

Emma halts for a minute and then she bursts out with laughter. Regina looks offended.

"That's because they probably are." She says after she has managed to get her laughter under control, it's only a giggle now.

Regina frowns.

"This is football." She gestures to the arena and the woman in it "This is a sport for some hard ass women. A lot of the women who like to play this type of sport are lesbians. Now I'm not going to give you a whole lecture about Femme on Femme and Butch on Butch thing so to cut the story short; not all, but most of the more masculine ladies prefer the more famines ones. And you, looking the way that you do and dressing the way that you dress, you are basically eye candy."

"I" she swallows, feeling her cheeks tinting at the prospect of being watched by so many women, and in a sexual way. "I don't know what to say…"

"You don't have to say anything, I was simply explaining the situation to you. Imagine as if you were entering a room full of men, the same reaction applies here. I'll go further and tell you this, even the straight girls would do you." She winks and it doesn't hold real meaning and she knows it. Still, it doesn't stop Regina's face from going a dark shade of red.

"And you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you gay?"

"I am," she pauses "does it bother you?"

"Not at all"

"Good"

Emma sits next to her and they stay quiet for a while.

"So…" Regina drawls "Does it pay the bills?"

Emma laughs again and shakes her hand.

"We don't get a single dollar out of this."

"So why do you do it?" Regina asks, perplexed.

"I love it" Emma says as if it's the easiest question Regina could've asked her.

"So you also work"

"Obviously" Emma answers cheekily and Regina rolls her eyes.

"Where?"

"I have my own coffee shop"

"You do?" and of course it's the minute Robin blows his whistle again. Emma gets up.

"You should drop by sometime"

She turns her back on Regina, who shamelessly stares at her behind while she goes down the grandstand.

 

***

 

"You got a really nice place" Regina says while Emma saunters behind the counter, making her best coffee for the brunette.

"Thanks. Would you like something to eat?"

"I'm good, thanks"

"Are you sure? The cinnamon rolls are to die for."

Regina chews her lip in contemplation before nodding curtly. Emma smiles and moves to re-heat one of the pastries.

"Why do you like this sport?" Regina asks out of the blue "I mean it is so violent and you are so not."

"Have you ever considered the fact that I'm not violent in real life just because I have a place where I can unload it?"

Regina seems to consider it before coming back with "Aren't that dangerous? You put yourself at risk every single practice."

"There is a certain amount of danger, but it's mostly on games. When we practice, yes, my team players tackle me but it is not in order to hurt me or cause pain. They tackle me to simulate a real game situation, to show me where I might get hit, to which side I need to pay more attention. It is in order to train me so stuff like that won't happen once I'm out there. When we play though, that's a different story. Those girls are out for blood. When they tackle me it's so I won't get up. Worst case scenario I stay down for a short while and they can complete their move while I'm out. Best case scenario, they get me down so hard I'm down for the game or for good." Regina scrunches her face as she tries to wrap her head around the concept and it's plain adorable.

"What about your family? How do they let you do it?"

"Well, I don't have a lot of family, it's just my son and I and he is supportive."

Regina's jaw is down on the floor for a good minute before she picks it back up.

"You have a child?"

"I do"

"How old are you?" she asks and her eyes go round when realizes that was completely rude, but Emma doesn't mind at all.

"I'm 31, he is 13. Had him when I was 18"

Regina frowns "I thought you said you were gay"

"I am" Emma says with a smile while retrieving the, finally, hot cinnamon roll and placing it in front of Regina as well as her coffee. "But I was young and confused and had mistaken my completely platinic love for a friend for something else and nine months later Henry came."

"I see"

"What about you? Kids?"

"One, Roland. He is 4. My adorable little baby boy." She smiles and Emma immediately returns it, surprisingly smitten by that unguarded maternal beam that Regina seems possess when talking about her child.

"Henry loves kids, we should set them up together, Henry will keep him busy and we can just chat"

"Sound lovely"

 

***

 

They're sitting in a bar, Regina with her cocktail and Emma with her third beer, when Regina finally gathers the courage to ask

"So do you have a girlfriend?"

Emma takes another sip "No, not really"

When Regina's eyebrows come up she elaborates "I casually, and the word casually should be used very lightly, date."

"What do you mean?"

"Most of the games are on weekends, that's Neal's time with Henry. So they come to support me and then they take off. If I feel like I need the company I just pick a girl I like and I take her home. That way Henry doesn't get to know them and he doesn't get hurt when they leave."

"You pick a girl? Just like that?"

Emma shrugs "You might think it's very a violent and objectifying sport and you come only 'cause you have to. Most of the people who come like that type of thing and find it extremely sexy when girls are being so athletic and physical with each other." Regina nods along. She knows exactly what the blonde is talking about, she feels it too; every time Emma has this long rally and her muscles spasm in a delicious way, every time she tackles a girl two sizes bigger to the ground and bounces back up as if nothing happened. Those moments affect her deeply.

"Fangirls are fangirls" Emma laughs "I just wink their way and they follow"

Regina laughs too, not because she finds it funny or amusing, but just so Emma doesn't suspect. Thinking about the blonde taking girls home, lifting them with her muscular arms and taking them to new heights makes her stomach churn. And not for the first time, she wishes it was her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I've said before, time jumps can get pretty frequent and big since this story is a little fast paced… Again, for any mistake about the whole football thing- I apologize. I did, however, made sure I knew what I was talking about when I wrote Emma's explanation of her part in the team. This part is verified and real, take Alli Alberts as the example for it (she was actually my inspiration for Emma's character).
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter (since I stayed up –really- late to make sure I was standing by my words)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I know I haven't responded to some of your comments yet (life has been pretty hectic) but I figured you'd prefer I post a new chapter in the time I have and tend to your comments later. Please don’t let it discourage you though, your comments simply make-my-day! Keep them, coming :)
> 
> Warning: there's some violence (physical and verbal) in this chapter since it's a game chapter.

 

She climbs up the stairs with ease to where Henry and Neal are sitting.  She spots Regina close to their right, her eyes scanning Emma's outfit. Emma smirks, not more sports bras, this is the real deal; bra and panties that leave nothing to imagination. The brunette licks her lips, probably unconsciously so, and Emma makes a mental note to come back to it later. But now it's game time and she needs to be in the zone, she needs to be focused or else she would end up on her back. And not in the sexy kind of way.

"Hey kiddo" she ruffles his hair "Neal" she nods towards him.

"Hey mom, good luck!" hey says excitedly. Henry loves football season.

"Good luck" Neal says right after him.

"Thank you" she smiles at the both of them.

"Please watch out for Regina" she gestures with her head towards the brunette "It's her first game"

"You got it" he laughs and she plasters a kiss on his cheek and gets back to the lockers.

They're playing against Atlanta. Not a real threat, they've beat them plenty of times before, but they do play dirty. Now Emma usually doesn't get into fights, she fights with touchdowns, but she is no sucker either and she prepares herself for the possibility of a little punch dance.

They step out on the field and it's a matter of seconds before one of the opponents is walking next to her.

"Oh it's the skinny blonde bitch again" she clasps her hands, voice oozing with amusement and disrespect "Didn't get your ass beaten enough last season? Go home." She makes a shoo motion with her hands.

Emma puts her game mask on "Think you can keep up this time fatty? Or we'll just keep getting scores after scores. Lose your stomach, fat bitch." She spits out with a snarl. Honestly, she hates that part. Deeming it disrespectful and rude but again, if you don't rise to the bait you come out as weak. Weak get their asses kicked the minute the game starts.

They bump chests and throw some threats but it doesn’t escalate any further since she gets pulled by one of her teammates.

They get in positions and the whistle blows.

After a couple of short passes, short distance running and a couple of unpleasant tackles Emma catches a pass from Lara, their quarterback and hits the sprint button. She runs fast, dodges one tackler, the other one is neutralized by Michelle and she makes it to the end zone with a roar from the crowed.

When she runs past the player she bumped heads with at the beginning of the game she gives her the finger. "All night long bitch, all night long".

 

***

 

The practices didn't prepare Regina for that level of violence. Her heart drops to her stomach every time a rival approaches Emma. Which is, well, all the time.

The game hasn't even started and her stupid Emma got herself involved in trash talk. She got brutally tackled at least five time, slammed at the wall while trying to run towards the end zone and got squished by at least ten girls just by standing next to an occurring fight.

"It's okay" Henry tried to reassure "Ma is strong"

She is, Regina wanted to say, but they are stronger and bigger and meaner. But she kept her mouth shut and tried to concentrate on the fact that her favorite blonde was a star tonight. Emma made it to the end zone three times and successfully saved one of her teammates from what could have been a pretty nasty concussion, that is if the beast that was charging her way wouldn't be stomped to the ground by Emma.

As the game progressed Regina calmed down. Soon it will be over.

But trust Emma Swan to get into a fist fight literally five minutes before the game ends. Regina can't possibly tell what went wrong. One moment Emma was successfully catching the ball and passing it on to the next player, the next one she started punching this large Latina woman. Soon every single player on the field joined the war and it took a long minute to separate them. Just before Emma re-placed her helmet on after it has fallen off, Regina spotted a swelling bruise near her cheek bone.

Her breath got caught in her lunges and she turned to look at Henry.

"Did you see?" she asked with concern, ignoring the ridiculousness of the fact that she's depending on a kid to calm her down.

"I did" Henry seemed slightly worried but overall clam "It happened before, she'll take care of it once the game is done."

"She is going to keep playing?" she asked horrified, because honestly this brutality and lack of compassion stands head to head with boxing. Only they're women and that's her Emma running there with a swollen face.

Henry sent her a 'Duh' look. "It's almost over anyway, she is not going to get taken out now."

 

***

 

Emma lifted her helmet with a wince. The right side of her face throbbed, she could feel the pulse all over her cheek. She would need ice. But that's for later, first she'll celebrate.

Lara lifted her in a hug

"Nice job Swan, kicked their asses again!"

She put her down just in time for her to see Regina quickly descending down the stairs. She passed Robin without even sparing a glance his way and strutted straight towards Emma.

"Are you okay?" she asked with a worried look, both her hands grabbing Emma's face as she examined the swelling. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"No" Emma said and Regina slapped her shoulder.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed though it felt more like a caress than an actual slap, especially after this kind of a violent game. "What did you do that for?"

"Stop getting into fights you idiot, you'll get hurt!"

"What a pretty girlfriend you have" Sanchez, the one she ended up fighting with said with creepy smile as she approached them "Wait 'till you turn around and I'll fuck her real good for you. She won't be able walk straight for weeks after I finish with her nice round ass." She clicked her tongue in appreciation, eyes on Regina's tightly clad form. Automatically Emma stepped in front of Regina, her eyes filled with venom.

"How about I split your face open, you dumb ass bitch."

Sanchez let out a humorless laugh, her eyes shining with excitement.

"So brave" she mocked "But now that the judge is gone, how about I beat the shit out of you like I should've had" she stepped forward and so did Emma, because this is an ego battle, you don't back down. Ever.

"Emma" Regina begged and Emma came to her senses. She can't fight this close to Regina, she might get hurt. Besides, Henry is here too and her mantra is 'it's just a part of the game'. Fighting when the match is over will throw that statement out the window.

"Run along with your team." Emma motions with her hands "I'll kick your ass open the next time you come here to lose, _again_ " she emphasizes the last word before turning around and taking Regina with her. Hitting someone from behind is truly dirty and she suspects Sanchez isn't that dirty of a fighter, she probably likes to earn her victims simply by punching the shit out of them, fair and square.

Her bet seems to pay off and Emma reaches Henry and Neal happy and unharmed, at least not more than before.

"That's our girl!" Neal says while Henry goes for a big hug.

"How is your face Ma?"

"That's nothing," she brushes it off, but one glance to her side shows her that Regina doesn't buy it. "Where are you off to?"

"We're going bowling with Tamara" Henry provides excitedly. Tamara is Neal's new girlfriend and Emma absolutely adores her. She is nice, compassionate and smart and she is a great example for Henry and Emma doesn't mind one bit that he spends time with her.

"You go have fun!"

She waves them goodbye and as soon as they're out of her line of sight she feels Regina grabbing her hand "Let's go ice it"

 

***

 

"Ouch!" Emma winces as soon as the ice touches her face but Regina's second hand, the one not holding the ice, secures her face in place.

"So" Regina drawls, desperate to fill out the space, awkward space created by the fact that they are alone in the room, incredibly close to each other. So close that she can feel the blonde's breaths on her skin and spot Emma's tiny freckles, surrounding her nose and cheeks. Freckles shouldn't be that cute, she thinks. Actually, they aren't, but somehow on Emma they seem like they are to most beautiful thing in the world.

She realizes she is day dreaming when her eyes meet with a pool of sea-green, staring at her.

"This woman" she says and her voice shakes a little. What is happening to her?

"Sanchez," Emma provides the name "What about her?"

"She is" _crazy, barbaric, mental, scary_ "intense" she goes with the least offensive word she can find, she is a daughter of a politician after all.

"Yeah… mostly it is just an act. They play it tough during the game. Not very difficult with the amount of pressure and physicality this sport creates. When the game is done, the masks come off. Most of them are nice, moms as well." She smiles tentatively and her forehead scrunches in pain.

"You should get that checked"

"I'm fine" Emma dismisses her "Anyway, some bitches, like Sanchez are like that in real life."

"So don't pick fights with her, she is dangerous" Regina reasons, because honestly, Emma should know better, she isn't an idiot. Well she is, but not _that_ idiot.

"Easier said than done. I don't start the fights but I have to fight back when she comes at me. She is like a bully and this is an ego fight; if I show weakness they will rip me apart, on and off the field."

"Mmm" Regina hums thoughtfully. It's crazy how every time that she's sure she has the right answer Emma counters her with an explanation, one that makes sense and proves, yet again, that they do things for a reason and not just for the sake of doing them.

"Yeah"

They're silent for a while, Regina changes the angle every once in a while, to make sure she covers the entire bruise. Emma doesn’t wince anymore, which is a good sign. She examines it closely, it should be okay in a matter of days. She turns to look at Emma and suddenly the air changes, oozing with electricity.

She is so close. Regina only has to close the distance and they will kiss. This is wrong, she tells herself but she still inches closer and closer. It's almost like when you are young and oh so dumb and reckless; you know you are about to make a mistake but somehow you can't you can't help it, stop it from happening. And the worst thing is that you don't even care. Probably due to booze or peer pressure or simply the stupidity and recklessness provided by youth. Either way, you end up doing the stupid did and once it's done you experience the most perplexing feeling in the world, at least so far considering that in that point in your life you have pretty much no worries or responsibilities.

Only Regina is an adult, a thinking adult and she is not drunk or surrounded by bad influences yet she goes for it anyway.

It is short and sweet and she draws back immediately with large round eyes. She is petrified. She is petrified it will ruin everything, everything with Emma, everything with Robin. But the thing that scares her the most is that she so desperately wants to do it again. Again and again, until her lips hurt, until Emma's lips are swollen and bitten, until she coaxes delicious sounds of pleasure from the blonde.

She takes a step back, her hand loosens and she drops the icepack. Emma quickly catches it.

Emma looks at her quietly, waits for her to make some kind of a move. She isn't smiling. She isn't frowning either. She is just the same old Emma, looking at her as if they just discussed pie recipes.

"I" she stumbles over her words. She takes a deep breath. "This never happened" she stresses, she can feel the panic making its way from her stomach up and she wants to vomit. Only then, Emma simply says

"Okay"

"Okay?" she asks with an incredulous looks.

And Emma shrugs and repeats "Okay"

And just like that her desperate need to run subsides and she nods curtly before taking the icepack from Emma's hand and re-placing it on her face.

"Okay"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah… Tell me what you think? :)


	4. Chapter 4

_"I" she stumbles over her words. She takes a deep breath. "This never happened" she stresses, she can feel the panic making its way from her stomach up and she wants to vomit. Only then, Emma simply says_

_"Okay"_

_"Okay?" she asks with an incredulous looks._

_And Emma shrugs and repeats "Okay"_

_And just like that her desperate need to run subsides and she nods curtly before taking the icepack from Emma's hand and re-placing it on her face._

_"Okay"_

 

***

 

Only it's not okay. It's the furthest thing from okay.

Emma goes home alone that night, the first time in years that she doesn't bring a girl home on the first game of the season. It's a tradition, opening the season with a bang, as Ruby likes to say. It's for good luck and Emma never messes with luck yet this time she couldn't care less.

She looks at the crowed and sees a beautiful young Latina woman smiling at her. Long brown hair, tan skin and curves from here 'till China. Usually Emma wouldn't even make it home before they start touching each other. The first orgasm will be in the locker room, another one in the car, then in the shower (Emma is still in her post game state after all) and then finally the bed.    

But she doesn't spare her a glance as she is moving towards her car. She gets home and takes a shower and inevitably reaches for a beer. Then, she panics.

During that moment in the locker room Emma was calm. She was calm because that's the role: there could be only one person freaking out at a given time. Since Regina filled that slot, and successfully so if she might add, Emma was left with being the calm, rational one. Now though, it's a whole different story.

She never, in a million years, thought Regina would actually do something about their attraction. Yes, there was chemistry and even straight girls can get a little curious but they usually never act on it.

Emma has major commitment issues, hence her 'one night stands only' record. She is used to feel only pleasure when taking part in physical relations. She can't remember the last time she actually felt something for someone, something so deep she felt it even in the tiniest of kisses. But she felt that today and that scares her more than anything.

After nursing two more beers and a gulp out of her disgusting sole Tequila bottle she arrived to a couple of conclusions. A. this was probably a slip, a mistake that won't happen again. B. she is going to do everything she can to make sure Regina stays around. Yes, she would love to have her in a romantic way, but friendship is better that nothing at all. C. if hell freezes over and Regina decides to find out what is it that they have she will not, never and ever, be the other woman. She has witnessed too many broken homes over people's incapability to stay loyal and she will not be the one causing this amount of pain to someone else. Especially not Robin, it is too messy. 

Making a list in her head seems to calm her down a little and she finally drifts into sleep.

 

***

 

Of course, out of all the nights in all of the years they've been married Robin chooses that day to initiate sex. Obviously, she understands. He has so many emotions, pent up tension, expectations and adrenalin to release. He was so stressed in the days prior to the game but this win is a statement, it's a declaration and Robin is happy, as he should be.

Could she say no to him? Probably not. She never says no to anything when it comes to Robin. Besides, she herself said to Emma that nothing happened, so she might as well prove it.

He kisses her and it feels scratchy, wrong. It never has before but it is like now, she knows better. That is not how it is supposed to feel. For a while now, it is not how it is supposed to or used to, for that matter, feel. But now, after getting a taste of something else, better, how can she get back to mundane, to the wrong person?

She closes her eyes and, it is awful of her but she thinks of Emma and soon it is over. It is over because that is how it is lately, over so quickly and then he falls asleep. And her orgasm, it is like a unicorn, beautiful to the point of legendary. It comes only so often it almost reaches the category of miracles and she can't help but wonder if Emma can change it. She will never forget Emma's description of her part on the team. 'You know what they say about wide catchers?' she teased 'they're amazing with their hands' she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. It was a joke, Regina is aware, but she never forgot that statement. She dreamt about Emma and her hands for days after that.

Robin is fast asleep. How does she know? He is snoring again. She snakes a hand down and finds almost no wetness. She wasn't even turned on in the first place to actually need to take care of herself. Pathetic.

She is here lying with a husband she no longer loves but most importantly, no longer respects and Emma is probably at her apartment fucking a lucky girl who has no idea she has gold in her hands. And the most annoying thing,

Regina told Emma it has never happened.

 

***

 

Determined to get them back on track, Emma invites Regina, Robin and Roland to dinner. Henry and Roland are running around while Emma tends the meat. They're sitting around the kitchen island, Emma and Robin with their beers, Regina with a glass of Merlot.

"We've had a row of great games" Robin says more to Emma than Regina "We keep it that way and we're on the way to the all-star game."

"I know" Emma agrees "It'll be great to finally beat Temptation"

"Pardon?" Regina joins in with a frown.

"LA temptation, the champions, the best team in our league." Emma explains and the brunette nods.

"Hey Emma, mind if I check the game scores?" Robin asks after glancing at his watch.

"Sure" 

It is Sunday, which means Sunday football. It's mandatory for Robin to watch this, almost a part of his job description.

"So" Emma turns to Regina after Robin is gone "how's grading? I know you were up to your neck with tests and papers, have you managed to get it under control?"

She can see Regina's eyebrows shot up, and if she had to guess why is that she would go with surprise that someone asks her about her job. Robin probably blabbers about his job all day, forgetting that he is only a football coach and while Regina is a professor, her job isn't discussed. That makes Emma furious, why can't he pay some fucking attention to his wife?

But this is not for now. It is for never actually, because Emma doesn't have any right to judge.

"It's coming along" Regina draws her back to the conversation "Not as nicely as I would have wanted it too, but still."

"Mmm" Emma makes a non-committal sound before jumping to the next question that pops in her head.

"Not to pry or anything, and do feel free to tell me if I cross the line" she lifts her hands in surrender "But," she lowers her voice "Roland is tan, tanner than both of you…"

This is not even a question, it is just a weird statement but Regina seems to pick up what it is about. "He is adopted"

"Oh" Emma's eyes go round with surprise "Does he-"

"Know? No. We think he's too young to know that. It's a complicated concept to wrap his little head around." and somehow, despite convincing herself otherwise, she can't help but feeling a pang in her heart when Regina says 'we'. Because yes, Regina is a part of a 'we', she is in fact married.  And Emma needs to stop dawdling on mistakes.

The stake makes a loud sizzling noise "I'm coming babe" Emma calls and Regina giggles and lord help her if it isn't the cutest noise in the world.

"I think you should come celebrating with us the next time we win" Emma says while her back still turned. She stiffens up for a moment, waiting for Regina to respond.

"Confident much" Regina teases and Emma shrugs in response "I would love that"

 

***

 

And they win Omaha heart, scoring 42-12. The girls are ecstatic and Regina is too, ecstatic because they are going partying. Robin is exhausted and after two beers with his guys he retires home, arriving just in time for Regina to head out. He doesn't ask questions, like he doesn't even care anymore. It makes Regina wonder, will he even care if she will ask for divorce.

She drops her depressing thoughts, because honestly, she just wants to have fun tonight.

She is slightly late and the rest of the girls are there already. They greet her, eyes focusing on her skin-tight navy blue dress. She pulls the hem down her thighs, wearing this was a stupid decision.

Before she even gets the chance to ask, Kayla half whispers half shouts in her ear that Emma is dancing. She points to a general direction and Regina shouts her thanks in return. She stops at the bar to pick up drinks for the both of them and makes her way to the dance floor. She isn't prepared for what she sees next as well as how hard it hits her in the gut.

Emma is dancing, well Regina isn't sure dancing is the right word, grinding against a skinny brunette. They are so close they almost look like one. Regina has the urge to vomit, to vomit and then hit herself for being so stupid. She knows about Emma's tradition, why did she being herself here? To see it with her own eyes?

Of course, that's the minute Emma turns to look at her. The smile she was wearing from whatever reason wavers in a matter of a millisecond. Her gaze shifts to her hands, holding the drinks, and then back up, eyes questioning.

Regina turns and walks away, depositing the drinks on one of the tables, hearing a 'thanks' in return as she desperately makes her way to the exit. She thinks she hears her name called but she doesn't turn.

She almost makes it to the exit when a hand closes off on her shoulder and spins her around.

 "Talk to me" Emma shouts trying to out win the blasting music.

"Leave me alone" she tries to free herself but somehow Emma grabs her from the waist, lifts her so her legs are mere inches off the ground and her body leaning on Emma's for support, and carries her towards the other side of the club. "Emma Swan, let me down immediately!" she threatens but Emma seems unfazed by the hostility.

And then they're in a small room, not well lit, full of bags and coats but at least the music is now a background sound. Emma releases her and she huffs.

"Who do you think you are?" she asks angrily.

"I'm your friend and I care about you and you seem upset"

"I think you projecting dear"

"Don't 'dear' me, I'm not Robin" Emma spits angrily. Regina blinks in surprise at the tone, her shocked expression morphs quickly into a sneer.

"Well that much is obvious"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing" Regina looks practically everywhere but at her "Now, that it is established, why don't I go back to my husband and you can go back to your after-party." she says the last part with contempt dripping off each syllable.

"So is this what this is about?" Emma's eyebrows shot up "That girl?"

"I don't know what you're talking about" she tries to dismiss, but of course, Emma won't buy it.

"I don't understand you"

"Didn't ask you to"

"You said it never happened"

"It never happened" Regina yells back, anger seizing up her body.

"So what do you want from me? I've honored your wishes and I dropped it, why are you mad?"

"Maybe I don't want you to invite me just so I can see you throw yourself at girls"

 Their tones get louder by the minute.

"I'm not throwing myself at anyone"

Regina chuckles humorlessly "You tell yourself that"

"What is your problem?"

"You" Regina full out shouts this one "You are my problem!"

"Honestly Regina you don't make any sense!"

"Just let me go already, I'm tired of this stupid conversation" she tries to bypass Emma but she blocks her, hands on each of her shoulders.

"Leave me alone!" she tries again but her voice wavers now and tears fill her eyes.

Emma bites her lip "It wasn't nothing, wasn't it?"

Regina can't help but laugh, a sad watery laugh "Of course not you idiot"

"You know I can't do it while Robin is still in the picture right?"

"I know" she understands; though it does nothing to calm down her cravings for Emma, for her muscular arms, her thin pink lips, her lopsided smile.

"And you know that I care about you a whole lot and then some more, right?" Regina can't stop the laugh that bubbles inside of her.

"Moron" she slaps Emma's shoulder lightly. The blonde hugs her tightly and Regina buries her head in her neck.

"Absolutely" Emma agrees and kisses the top of her head and Regina sighs; this, right there, between those arms, is home.

 

***

 

Emma doesn't mention that night again. It is Regina's choice to make and it's a big one.

Emma would like to believe she has done the right thing; this is a messy situation but she made her point clear: she likes Regina, but nothing will happen while Robin and inevitably, Roland are in the picture.

It is nearly painful. The curiosity eating her from inside, pushing her to ask the brunette if she has made up her mind yet. But she doesn't. She puts on a smile an acts as if nothing happened.

Besides, Regina needs to choose for herself and not because she wants to be with Emma, this is not a good enough reason. Emma wants her to understand that she is part of an abusive relationship. Maybe not the classic 'he hit me' relationship, but she is no longer happy, she is trapped and silenced most of the time; and that's only what Emma knows, she is sure the brunette isn't showing her the whole picture.

Its Wednesday again, the second Wednesday since that party. Wednesday is the day Regina comes for their practice and for two weeks in a row she is a no show.

As much as Emma would like to pretend she isn't affected by that, she can't stop her face from crumbling when she runs to her bag during the break and Regina isn't there the hand it out to her and ask her how she's doing.

"Cheer up" Kayla pushes her from behind "There are many brunettes in the sea. Besides," she shrugs with her hands wide "how long do you expect her to hang around when you don't fuck her?"

Emma is seated aside that practice, after beating the shit out of Kayla, with bruised knuckles and a sore heart.


	5. Chapter 5

Regina pours down her third glass of Cabernet. And it's not even seven, she thinks bitterly.

She swirls the glass, watching the burgundy liquid making its way in circles.

"Mom!" Roland is standing in front of her with his adorably serious face and she realizes he's been calling her for quite a while now.

"Yes baby?"

"I'm not a baby" he pouts and she chuckles, though it lacks its usual humor.

"Of course not" she kisses his head "I apologize"

Roland seems satisfied with this answer and asks for his daily chocolate milk. Once he's done with his beverage He runs back to his puzzle, a thousand piece puzzle, scattered all over her beautiful marble floor. Usually she would care. She would chastise him and make him take it to his room because there are rules and the rules are that all of his toys, especially the messy ones, are to played only in his room. But she doesn't care anymore, all of these corrections and rules seem irrelevant. Has it helped her marriage? Does it make her happy? Obviously it is futile, so why putting so much effort on enforcing it, effectively making herself the bad guy each and every time?

She takes another sip. Maybe if she'll drink enough and abandon all of her duties as a wife Robin will leave her. She mulls it over in her head, maybe he will have enough of her and she won't have to be the bad guy again. Maybe, just maybe, he will be the one tear their household apart. Anything is better than the strained silence they live in.

She turns to look at her beautiful boy, what will happen to him? How can she do this to him?

She remembers the files. Files upon files they had to fill, years of waiting for permit and then months until they found him. At first, when she found out she couldn't have kids, she sunk. Sunk into depression, into the sudden lack of future that existed in her head since childhood, having it all crush in her face, into the fear that Robin will leave her.

Months have passed until she even considered adopting and during those long months of feeling helpless they were stronger than ever. Robin loved her and supported her and respected every decision she has made. She remembers them being such a strong, united, loving couple at the beginning of the process. In such contradiction to the broken couple they were when Roland arrived.

He was almost like glue to their marriage and he lifted it up. Focusing all of their time on him, they forgot to fight with each other. But it could have only lasted for so long. Eventually they started fighting again and then worse, they stopped fighting at all. They didn't care anymore and it was okay living that way when she didn't want anything else but now she wants Emma, she feels for Emma, now there is something better waiting for her outside and she wants out.

The knocks on the door draw her from her internal discussion. She sighs and grabs her wallet on her way to the door. She pays for the pizza and calls Roland, who is, needless to say, super excited about the prospect of having greasy unhealthy food instead of broccoli and rice.

And Regina? Well, she just doesn't care anymore.

 

***

 

"Something is on your mind" Ruby nudges her with her elbow "Spill"

Emma sighs and takes another sip from her beer. It's well after midnight and she has a morning practice the next day but that doesn't seem to bother her as she nurses her third beer.

"Girl problems?" Ruby tries after Emma fails to come up with an answer.

Emma snorts, but it lacks her usual confidence "The day I have problem getting laid, you have my permission to kill me" Ruby chuckles.

"So?"

"I'm into someone"

Ruby's eyebrows shot up "Like into into?"

"Yep" Emma confirms "I like her a lot"

Ruby whistles "I thought you don't do that 'relationship thing'" Ruby mocks her, her hands motioning the quotes sign.

"I don't, but I'm ready to make an exception. The thing is," she takes another sip "is that she is involved. Well," she rephrases "she is more like legally involved rather than romantically involved."

"Huh?" Ruby doesn't seem to follow.

"She is married, but it's dead for years now."

"Oh"

"Exactly. And, she is a good friend of mine" Ruby opens her mouth but Emma adds quickly "And, I know her husband" Ruby's eyebrows furrow "He is my coach"

"Fuck Emma!" Ruby exclaims "How did you get yourself in that mess?"

"I honestly have no idea" she shakes her head.

"And is she into you as well? Or is it a one side thing?"

"She kissed me, and then she said it didn't happen and then she yelled at me for acting like it never happened."

"What?"

"I know, just be happy you like guys Rubs" Emma pats on her shoulder reassuringly "they might be assholes but at least they're simple."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I dunno yet"

They sit in silence.

"What time does your workout start?" Ruby is the first to break the silence.

"10"

Ruby whistles "I better let you sleep then"

When in her bed she fiddles with her phone, typing massages and deleting them. Eventually she settles for something short.

_I will still be your friend_

She writes and hopes Regina understands and figures out the un-written sequence- _even if you choose to stay with him_.

 

***

 

It's time for another game against Atlanta and Regina can't restrain herself anymore. So she drops Roland at one of his friends and makes her way to the arena.

She takes a seat and not long after she sees Henry and Neal approaching her.

"Hey" Henry waves enthusiastically, beaming happily at her.

"Hi" she smiles back, but it's tamed. "Neal" she nods his way and he lifts his hand in a shy gesture. 

Oblivious to the slight inconvenience floating in their shared air Henry takes a sit next to her, munching on his popcorn.

"Would you like some?" she declines but he is persistent and she hands up having some so he gets off her back.

"So" he drawls while swinging his legs back and forth. Regina recognizes this type of energy, this is a sugar rush. She sends a judgmental look at Neal's direction and he has the dignity to look slightly ashamed. "We haven't seen you in the coffee shop for _years_ " he draws the last word longer and Regina can recognize the mannerisms of a teenager start making appearances in his speech.

"I know, I've been busy" Henry sends her a non-believing look before returning to the groups who are now get in positions for the game.

They start playing and again, as it always is with Atlanta, it's dirty. There are shoves and fights outside the game itself and penalties are thrown to both sides.

It's around half time. The bliss are ahead but Atlanta aren't that far behind. It's right after their rivals scoring a point and Chicago is getting ready for their move. The quarterback passes it to Emma and she starts running, so fast that she can't change her direction when Atlanta's defense player, number 13, smashes her to the ground.

Regina's heart leaps to her throat. She will come up in a second, she promises to herself like every other time someone dares to lay her hand on her precious Emma.

But it's a minute and Emma doesn't budge. Players are gathering around her as well as three judges. Robin makes his way to the bunch as well. Regina tries to get a glance at the blonde, but people are blocking her view. Eventually she catches a glimpse; Emma still on the ground, her face contorts in pain with what seems to be tears strikes on the side of her face.

It takes her a minute to register that she is moving, shoving people off her way in a hurry to get to Emma. Security tries to stop her but retort quickly after she pulls out her 'evil queen look' and she crosses the distance to the gathering.

"Emma" she calls as she squeezes herself into and through the wall of people. She drops to her knees and grabs Emma's face. Her eyes are open but they're unfocused.

"Emma" she calls again and kisses her forehead "Please say something"

Emma seems to zoom in on her for a quick second before closing her eyes and groaning. It's then when the medical help arrives and lift her on the stretcher. She follows them, paying no mind to the frown on Robin's face. That can wait.

 

***

 

"My head" she murmurs.

"Ma!" and "Emma" are being yelled at the same time in response.

She opens her eyes, her sight slightly blurry, and squints at the amount of light in the room. It takes her a minute to register where she is and her eyes round almost comically.

"The game, I need to get back" she tries to lift herself but there's a hand on her shoulder pushing her down.

"You're going nowhere" she turns to look at Regina and can't help the small fluttering in her chest. She hasn't seen her for three weeks, three weeks too long.

"But I-"

"Shh" Regina gestures with her hand as if to say 'the discussion is over' and Emma raises her eyebrows "You are going nowhere, but just so you know, you won"

She turns to look at Henry whose face is a combination of worry and happiness. "We won" he beams and she smiles at him.

"Now that your mom is up, let's call the doctor shall we?" Regina drapes a hand on Henry's shoulder as they're moving towards the door and Emma can't, and doesn't want to, fight the large wave of warmth that washes over her chest at the sight.

They come back with who seems to be the doctor. He wears a name tag with 'Dr. Whale' printed over it and he is fairly handsome with blue eyes and an easy smile.

"So, Emma Swan" he lifts up her chart and opens it, eyes ghosting over her chart.

"It seems as if you deliberately ran into a wall. You were, however, came out pretty lucky. You have a concussion, nothing dangerous, but you will experience dizziness, nausea and severe headaches. I'll prescribe you some pain medication but you will have to endure some pain until it passes. And as for your back, luckily there was no harm done. It's a mere bruise, painful yet harmless. I do recommend bed rest for at least a week and even after that, you don't go near the field for another two weeks. We will keep you here for the night and send you tomorrow if nothing out of the ordinary happens. Do try to find someone to take care of you, and when I say someone I don't mean a kid" he gestures towards Henry "you need an adult to make sure you're eating, to help you moving from one place to another until your world stops spinning."

Emma is overwhelmed by the amount of information so Regina thanks the Dr. for her and he leaves the room.

"I" she shuts her mouth when she understands that she has no idea what to say.

"To make it simple for you," Regina steps in "Concussion, not harmful yet very unpleasant, you need to be taken care of, a month out of the arena at least and no permanent damage to your back."

Emma frowns "I heard one week of bed rest and then two more weeks of rest, that's three weeks overall"

"Look at her" Regina halfheartedly mocks her "she was listening after all" she bites but she does it with a smile, so Emma doesn't really care.

"So three weeks of rest"

"Four" Regina determines and they have a little stare off.

"Who died and made you a doctor?"

Henry laughs and Regina just shakes her head.

 

***

 

"I don’t like it" Robin rumbles through the phone.

"Well I don't care that you don't, she has no one else to do it for her" she reasons. Well, there is Neal, but hell freezes over before she will let Emma's ex take care of her.

She hears him sigh and she knows he has given up. "Fine, but it's just a couple of days and don't you think the whole thing is over. We need to talk about the game." She cringes, god this is a conversation she doesn't want to take part in.

"Later" she says and hangs up, re-entering the room.

"Alright," she clasps her hands together "let's get you home"

Emma throws up twice on the way to her house and Regina feels helpless, just driving and not being able to do anything to relieve Emma's discomfort.

She helps her up the stairs to her apartment, after Emma almost throws a tantrum when Regina suggests the elevator. She takes the key and opens the door.

The minute Emma is situated on the sofa Regina takes a look around. She lifts some of the discarded cloths and put them in the laundry basket.

"You don't have to do that" Emma mumbles weakly.

"Shut up" Regina says as she takes out ingredients for lunch and it makes Emma smile.

She places the food on the coffee table once she is done and takes a sit on the arm chair next to the sofa.

"I'm not hungry" Emma whines with a pout but Regina will have none of it.

"I made it and you'll eat it." She determines, realizing Emma is just like a child, well that's true in general but even more when she is sick and therefore, tough love is the only way. "Besides, you want the pain killers right?"

Emma nod vigorously and then clutches her head when the pain hits her hard.

"Errrr!" she groans in pain.

"Come on" Regina places a calming hand on her forearm and it seems to ground the blonde a little. She helps Emma sit up and feeds her.

"This is ridiculous" Emma mumbles between bites.

"Indeed" Regina agrees but there's a smile tugging at the ends of her lips.

After eating and taking the pills exhaustion seems to consume the blonde and she is dead asleep by four in the afternoon. Regina uses the time to talk to Roland and she can see him in her head nodding with round eyes while she explains that auntie Emma had her brain shaken like a milkshake. He promises he will be good and also draw a beautiful 'get well' card for Emma. She reads and watches TV, cooks dinner and organizes the house.

She almost runs out of things to do when Emma stirs, well past dinner time (closer to midnight actually).

"Mmm" Emma mumbles, her face still smashed adorably against the pillow Regina placed there. Realizing her train of thoughts she quickly shut it down. "Head" she swallows "Hurts"

It has been hours since the last doze of painkillers, so it figures by now Emma's head is probably throbbing. "You need to eat first"

"Okay" she says as she gets up and then she is silent while she waits for the dizziness to subside. This time she isn't that lucky and the remaining content of her stomach is soon in the bucket.

Regina rubs soothing circles on her back.

"I'm fine" Emma is quick to say, quick to assure that she isn't weak and Regina knows that instinct too well.

"There you go" she hands her a glass of water and then Emma eats dinner in tiny pieces, trying not to upset her already crazy stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was getting long so I had to cut it here but if it makes you feel any better, Emma has to shower at some point ;) I'll leave you with that image and you, please leave me a comment :P


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,  
> So as you're all aware writing can't be our only thing (apparently there is a thing called life and it's catching up to me). There's something really important that I need to prepare for and because of that my schedule gets more and more packed by the day. I guess this is me apologizing to you (also all of you Skyline readers) for the time gaps between updates. I will do my best to keep up.   
> This story, luckily, has at least two or three more chapters ready to be put up but after that, god help us all. Don't give up on me and I love you :) * which says much since I don't really like people, like at all ;P *

 

"No!" she protests. There is no way in hell this is going to happen.

"Emma" Regina sighs and she should feel so guilty about causing her more trouble when she is only trying to help but she is too scared right now.

"I'm not showering"

"You stink" Regina points out with an adorable scrunch of her nose.

"Gee, keep the compliments coming" she says sarcastically, hoping it will put Regina away, but who is she kidding? Regina is a gladiator plus, the one with the access to her pain killers.

"Fine" she relents after considering her options "But I do it alone"

Regina laughs "Absolutely not, you'll slip and die. You barely walk from the couch to the kitchen with my help and you expect me to trust you to stand in the slippery shower? Henry will forever hate me for killing you."

"But, Regina!" she whines.

"Come on! What are you twelve?" Regina dismisses it as if it's nothing "I've seen it all before"

"Yeah but you haven't seen mine" she pouts, her eyes pleading.

Regina points to the bathroom "Now" and her face say all that is needed to say, 'this discussion is over'

They enter the bathroom and Emma curses her apartment for not containing a bath.

Regina sits her on the closed toilet and helps her out of her clothes. Emma doesn't lift her head up, ashamed; of what? She has no idea, but this whole situation is weighing on her in ways she has never felt before. She gets into the shower but the curtain stays open. Regina doesn't say or look at anywhere remotely inappropriate. She helps her shampoo her hair and soap her back and shoulder, her touch almost feather like when she is around the bruised area. She does her legs as well, but everything else in between she leaves to Emma.

She almost trips twice, forcing Regina to stable her, soaking her upper body in the process.

She is in bed, waiting for Regina to finish her nightly routine. When she comes out of the shower, dressed in a silky pajama set and smelling of lotions Emma nearly drools. She closes her mouth and swallows thickly, god this is embarrassing.

"Do I sleep in Henry's rooms?" Regina questions from the door.

Emma chews her lip and shakes her head shyly "He still sleeps in a smaller bed and it is also very uncomfortable." She needs to buy him a new bed for three years now. His legs nearly hang out after his latest height jump last summer and it's bound to get worse, he is only starting. She makes a mental note to take care of it as soon as she gets better.

"So…" Regina drawls and Emma is drawn back to the conversation.

"You can sleep here, it's a queen size, there should enough room for the both of us"

"Okay, I guess" Regina approaches the bed and slides under the duvet, facing up.

Emma turns off the light. "Good night then" she says shyly, because suddenly it's too quiet and awkward.

"Good night"

 

***

 

They manage to work it out during that week; Regina helps Emma wake up and eat and then leave for work. When she comes back Emma is usually asleep, her body's exhaustion from trying to recover mixed up with the medication leave her close to dead from the minute Regina leaves until the moment she returns.

She brings Henry and Roland with her so both them can spend time with their kids. That ordeal usually wears Emma out and she eats, showers and goes to bed by ten. The kids get picked up by their dads, leaving Regina alone with Emma again. Regina showers, grades papers and retires to bed as well.

Sometime during the middle of the week Emma manages to lose the dizziness enough to shower on her own. When that happens Regina sits on the bed, with mental pictures of the alluring blonde floating in her head, and tries to resist the sudden urge to shove a hand down her pants or stride into the shower with no clothes on.

When that happens, the need for Regina specifically fades and Neal takes over. Regina wants to object, but she misses her boy, her work output is nowhere near satisfying and her back hurts from sleeping in the same position in fear of hurting the blonde or worse, groping her in her sleep.

During the rest of week she manages to avoid any real alone time with Robin but it's after Saturday's family dinner, when Roland is asleep, that she knows her blissfully ignorant break has come to an end.

"What was that all about?" Robin starts and Regina downs the end of her glass and pours another glass of wine immediately. She needs alcohol on her side for this. He watches her but says nothing.

She sighs "I like Emma"

"Okay and…" Robin doesn't seem to understand so she says it again, emphasizing the important word.

"I mean, I _like_ Emma" she says again and he frowns, she can tell it doesn't make sense to him.

He scratches his scruff, the one she used to think was the sexiest thing in the entire world but now is just another reminder that he is not Emma.

"But you're straight" he argues.

"I thought so too"

"So what are you saying?" he spits out and barges in before she has the chance to respond.

"That just because you may 'think' you're gay you can go and cheat on your husband? Abandon your kid in the process? Just 'cause you have some kind of a midlife crisis? We had sex Regina, I know you are straight."

She feels like she's about to explode, because every word that comes out of his mouth is more wrong and ignorant than its prior.

"First of all, I didn't say I'm gay nor that I'm not straight either. I'm attracted to Emma, it is a fact, but nowhere near a declaration of my sexuality; which, by the way, can go both ways, hence bisexuals. And more importantly" her voice is low and full of venom.

"I never cheated on you. I haven't acted upon my desires like some common men" she spits out and feels her face heating up.

"And I'm most certainly not abandoning our child. You are the one who misses him almost every single work day, you're the one who's not there to tuck him in and kiss him goodnight, so don't you go around patronizing me and doubting my eligibility as a mother when you don't even act like a father!"

She gets up abruptly "And you know what?" she points at him, eyes ablaze "I'm tired of your sexist ass thinking I'm just a wife and my duty is to wait for you at home with dinner. We are 50 years past that era. I deserve to be happy and I haven't been happy in a long long time."

He shakes his head, half in disbelief half in disappointment

"I wonder what you mother would have said if she could hear you now." He says and it's so below the belt that she almost punches him in the face. She closes her eyes and tries to take a calming breath, because he is so not worth it.

She grabs her car keys and her phone.

She opens the door with much more force than needed but when she turns to him she is her calm collected self and right before she is out she says it.

"I want a divorce" and slams the door, leaving Robin staring into nothingness.

 

***

 

Emma is bored, bored out of her mind. She gets off the couch and approaches the mirror again. She flexes her muscles and shakes her head in disappointment, she is losing her physique. Emma is the classic case of ADHD, she can't go a day with running, jumping or moving. Bed rest kicked her ass but at least she had the medications to keep her asleep most of the time and Regina to keep her entertained when she was up.

Regina completely disappeared. At first, Emma assumed she just needed some space after tolerating Emma twenty four hours a day, four days in a row. The only one who has to put with her for so long is Henry and kind of has to, he is her son.

When she got out of bed rest she jumped straight into work, putting in all the hours she has missed. She went to practices as well, though Robin kept either ignoring her or sending deadly looks her way. That made her suspect something was up.

Still, she opted on giving Regina space since the brunette wasn't responding well to pressure, that she has learned a long time ago.

It was almost two and a half weeks into her injury that Emma decided that enough is enough. She picked up the phone and dialed Regina's home number.

"Hallo?" Roland's voice was sounded through the phone, making his tone pitchier than normal.

"Hey Roland, it's Emma. How are you?"

"Good"

"Is Regina home? May I speak with her?"

"Mom isn't home anymore"

Emma frowned "What do you mean?" she questioned.

"Mama is living in a tall tower and there is a lady to clean her room so she doesn't need to clean it and I can eat on the bed and there is this funny looking man that bring us food and-"

"Wait a minute, is mom in a hotel?"

"Yes yes, a tall tower"

Emma is confused, when the hell did that happen?

"How long does mom live in a tall tower?"

"I don't know" she can practically see him shrug in her head.

"A long time?" she tries again

"Yes yesterday and the day before and the day before and the day be-"

"Yes, thank you Roland" she cuts his blabber "Would you like to speak with Henry?" she asks because she knows the answer will be an enthusiastic yes and she needs Henry off her back so she can call Regina. So basically, a win/win.

"Yes!" he squeals

"Okay, there you go" she hands the phone to Henry and makes her way out of the living room.

She stands in her bedroom, clueless. She phrases a text and deletes it to later rephrase it and delete this one as well. She tries calling but it goes straight to voice mail and only then she remembers Regina has a class on Thursday afternoon. Having no other options, she leaves her a voice mail.

_'Hey, it's Emma. We need to talk, Joe's at eight?'_

 

***

 

Regina bids her goodbyes to the last one of her students. When the class is empty she slumps in her chair, closes her eyes and lets out a sigh. What has her life become?

Not in the mood for those deep questions she looks for a distraction. She fishes her phone out and reluctantly listens to Emma's voice mail.

She has been avoiding everyone in the past two weeks but her efforts to specifically ignore a certain green eyed blonde have taken a toll on her. The minute she slammed the door that Friday night all she wanted to do was to run straight to Emma. With alcohol in her system, this newly acquired feeling of freedom and an ever growing craving for Emma it was immensely difficult not to barge into her apartment and kiss her breath away. She had to remind herself that this divorce is not for Emma, it's for her and because of it running to Emma the second she voices it out loud won't fix anything but will only make it more complicated.

She has to consider her steps and avoid rapid and irrational decisions. Despite having asked for divorce she is still married to Robin and pursuing something with Emma while still in the process of separating her life from Robin's might do more damage than good. She will not let her raging hormones and sudden sexual awakening be the cause for her to lose custody of her son in case Robin decides to fight her and uses Emma to make his case. Also, she will not poison whatever it is she has with Emma by starting it in the middle of an ugly stage, she will not ruin the purity of what they can reach just because she can't wait.

Because of all of those reasons she doesn't go to Emma that night. She crashes at Kathryn's after a couple of glasses of whiskey, waking up the next day with a raging headache and blind determination to handle the situation right.

She settles in a hotel, but makes sure to pass Robin the massage that he better find an arrangement soon, this house is hers. And partially it is hers; they paid for half of it with their shared money and the remaining half they received as a gift from her dad. She knows Robin is aware of that fact and trying to fight her for it will end up in a failure. She will buy his part if he insists.

They settled on some kind of makeshift schedule where Roland divides his time between the both of them. She spoils him with some goods, hoping he will be in her favor in case the question who does he prefer ever comes up. She knows this is over-planning and she is taking every situation to the extreme hostility-wise but it gives her a fake feeling of grounding, knowing that she's prepared even for the worst of possible scenarios.

She knows she can't ignore Emma forever so she relents; but instead of coming to Joe's she texts her the hotel address and her room number. It doesn't take long for the blonde to reply with the thumbs up emoji.


	7. Chapter 7

Emma has no idea what to expect; an angry Regina, a happy Regina, she has no clue. All Emma knows that it has been two weeks and Regina hasn't made a sound.

For all she knows Regina might have decided to keep her home intact and pull herself away from whatever they had going on. And to be honest, that deafening silence Emma has been experiencing since that day supports that theory much more than the one Emma would've wanted it to.

Regardless, she is standing in front of the hotel door. Just one more moment to herself, a blessed moment of not knowing what Regina's deal is.

She closes her eyes for a brief second and then she knocks on the door.

"Hey" she says and Regina moves aside to let her in.

"Can I get you anything?" Regina asks and her tone is so polite it makes Emma wince. "Coffee? Tea?"

"Got anything stronger?"

Even when they had the whole attraction thing getting in their way, they were always able to somehow pretend. They would small talk as if nothing was happening under the surface, it was their gift. Yet this time, the air was almost sticky with awkwardness. Complete silence engulfing them as they take tentative sips from their glasses of Scotch.

Emma had no doubt Regina was breaking their thing, whatever the fuck it is.

Regina sighs, lowering her head "I'm getting a divorce"

Emma's head snap up, eyes round. Did she hear that correctly? Emma didn't see this one coming. 'I'm staying with Robin', yes. 'I like you but I can’t break my marriage just yet', also reasonable. But divorce? That one hadn't crossed her mind. It seem like things were worse than she was letting on.

"It's not for you though" Regina adds quickly, before Emma gets the chance to respond, let alone hope.

"Oh?" she says sadly. So she did guess correctly.

Regina rolls her eyes, clearly frustrated with her own verbalization skills at the moment.

"No, what I meant is that I'm getting a divorce and it has nothing to do with you." She swallows "I want to be with you, don't get me wrong. But the divorce isn't because I want you, I'm divorcing because I'm unhappy in my marriage and that has nothing to do with the fact that I desire to explore whatever it is that we feel. Clearer?" she bites her lip and Emma nods. She nods because she understands but just to make sure her mind isn't playing tricks on her she asks again.

"So" she drawls "you do want us to- you know" she motions with her hand to the both of them and it's all stiff and awkward but Emma so desperately doesn't want to scare her off just by labeling their 'thing' or naming it the wrong way. Her 'stupid-mouth' syndrome isn't going to run Regina away, not this time.

Regina smiles tightly "I do, but I don't think it will be a smart idea to do anything, at least not until I know where Robin and I stand." She reasons.

All Emma has to do is nod her agreement "Absolutely, you know my opinion on that matter."

They sit quietly, yet it's not the same awkward silence from minutes prior. Emma twitches her hands, afraid of expressing that one single thought that has been crossing her mind since their kiss but knowing that it has to be said now, while things are still reversible.

"Err" she says, drawing Regina's attention "I just want to say- to clarify, that I" she swallows and tries again "Look, I like you and as I've said before I would like us to try. I will say that though; please keep in mind that I haven't been in a relationship in a long time. And even when I was in one, well you know the story" she shrugs.

"I can't promise you anything. I don't know how I will act in the situation of a relationship, or basically anything more than a one night stand. But I'm sure as hell want it and I'm sure as hell gonna try."

She exhales and it feels like this weight has been finally lifted off her shoulders. This inexplicable fear of hurting Regina just by being her own emotionally crippled self was eating her from the inside. It is not that things are miraculously solved after this confession but somehow knowing that Regina knows makes it achievable.

Regina smiles in return, tilting her head in that adorable way that Emma likes so much she assures "I wouldn't ask for anything more"

 

***

 

Nights are much easier after that. Getting rid of those feeling of guilt by talking to Emma take a weight off her heart that she didn't even know existed.

She will be honest and say that a lot of negative scenarios were going through her mind during that period of complete silence. Regina was sure Emma lost interest, received a wrong massage or plainly just moved on. And these thoughts, they were haunting her. Because despite not divorcing for Emma, it would still devastate her to finally break free and not have the blonde by her side to celebrate it with.

Somehow, despite being the two edges of the scale, Emma reminds Regina of her old self; the fighter, the resourceful human being, this force of nature that she used to be before she lost her fire. To blame her marriage for everything would be a childish thing to do. It was Regina's fault as well, amongst many others'. Regardless of whose fault this is, there is no denying that life wore Regina down. It always felt that way.

Regina grow up having this alive, scorching inner fire that helped her fight the world, a world who always seemed to weigh her down. Whether it was her mother, later on her bosses and eventually Robin. It always felt like she was fighting with this power from the inside that she slowly ran out of. It was never life itself that gave her strength or positivity, that was all her doing and somehow she lost it along the way.

That was until she met Emma. For the first time it feels as if someone is lighting her from the outside in and not the other way around. It feels as if she's been living her life wrongly, blindsided by everyone around her, probably oblivious to the true meaning of life and relations as well, but still. She didn't know she missed it until she had it, almost like a sixth sense yet the most important one of all.

Despite it coming so late in 'the game' Regina refuses to give up on herself. Finally, she feels that little fire from within starting to burn its way into her soul again and maybe, just maybe she can exist with both fires, lighting each other.

This positive feeling doesn’t last for long.

It's weekend, this time it's Robin's turn with Roland and since agreeing that keeping their distance would be a good idea for now, Regina doesn't expect anyone. Yet it's half past ten when the knocks on the door echo through the almost empty room.

She frowns as she approaches the door. Who could it be? She didn't order room service and the only people who actually visited here were Kathryn and Emma. Emma, she knows, wouldn't come without an invitation since they agreed on some space. The other blonde in her life, Kathryn, is on a romantic getaway with her boyfriend Fredrick; who actually intends on proposing while there.

She feels her heart sink to the stomach at the person in front of her.

She sighs sadly, she is in no mode for a fight.

"What do you want Robin? And if you are here, where the hell is my child?" she bites but he's used to it and he responds unfazed by the hostile environment.

"Our child" he emphasizes "And he is spending the night with Thomas."

She lifts her eyebrow "I see you cherish your time with him." She says sarcastically, still not moving away from the door to let him in.

He rolls his eyes at that "Come on, it is his birthday and everyone is going, give me a break. I just want a couple of minutes of your time." He pleads in this pout she used to think was adorable, now it's plain irritating.

Still, she budges to the side and lets him in. "You've got ten minutes, no funny business." She warns.

 

***

 

The season is coming along, nearing its end, which means they start playing against the west coast as well. Against their enemies, if you're being precise.

Seattle Mist are the champions of the east coast, unbeatable. Los Angeles Temptation are the west coast champions and their biggest threat.

Since that league opened in 2009 they managed to win only one championship in comparison to the five the sun-kissed girls from California have won. Emma wasn't there when they won, which means that she spent the last three years working her butt off only to see the trophy get snatched from under her nose at the last minute.

But this year, this year she is ready to fight. Some new girls arrived, their formation is better and putting all of her personal issues with him aside for the moment, Robin is a great coach. He's aware of their strong suits and weaker ones, he knows every girl's limits and he can read the enemy like no one else. Combine those factors together and you get a very determined and hopeful Emma Swan who thinks they might stand a chance.

It's their first game today. This one is more of a practice game or a friendship game if you'd like. Still, no one is fooled by that title; this game sets the tone. The one time they did take the trophy home was they year they won the first game of the season. Emma is sure it's not a coincidence.

To Emma's surprise, Regina agreed to come to this game. When she tried asking about the whole Robin situation the brunette drew the conversation to a whole different topic. Despite Regina's professionally managed transition, Emma knows better. She knows Regina is quite the politician and she doesn't fall for that. Despite not buying it she didn’t push, she promised she wouldn't and she would keep her word.

She smiled broadly as she made her way across the field towards her son, Neal and Regina.

"Look who's here" she closed her eyes and groaned. Still, she turned to face Ashley.

"Don't start" she pleaded but Ashley entered her personal space anyway. She examined her with feigned worry and brushed her thumb across her cheekbone.

"I heard you got hurt," she said in a sickening sweet voice "Please watch yourself while we kick your ass" she smiled cockily "I'd hate to see you in pain." The brunette pouted.

Emma swatted her hand away, only mere inches from her bottom lip. "Cut the bullshit, I'm in no mood for your games." She broke eye contact and glanced around before settling on an irritated looking Regina. She was eyeing their exchange like a hawk.  

"Aww, someone is moody today" she said and turned to look at Regina. She waved at her, smiling, and the brunette narrowed her eyes in return.

"Tell your girlfriend up there I'm going to fuck you real good" she licks her lips and closes the distance almost completely "first on the field and later in bed" she dives in for a quick smooch, grabbing Emma's chin forcefully so she can't escape and when she parts away she draws Emma's lip with her teeth. It is so fast Emma doesn't have the chance to respond but when she realizes what just happened, in front of Regina, in front of her son, she is fuming.

"Son of a bitc-" she curses but Ashley is already walking away from her.

"Tell your girlfriend she can join, she's hot" she winks and turns her back on Emma.

Emma fists her hands. _Save it for the game, save it for the game_. She takes a deep breath and continues to approach the crowed.

When she reaches their bench she examines the three of them; Neal smirking at her with his 'damn that lesbian shit is hot' look that he makes every time he sees her with a girl. Her son alternates his gaze between Emma to where Ashley is now, excited. And Regina, Regina just looks like her ears might go in-flames.

"So are you guys getting back together?" Henry cheeps happily, already making assumptions.

"What do you mean back together?" Regina asks, enraged, before realizing that she doesn’t have a real valid reason to be this furious. Well, at least not in Neal and Henry's eyes.

Emma opens her mouth to respond but Henry jumps in "She was mom's girlfriend"

"I-" Emma pinches the bridge of her nose "Well not exactly" she adds lamely and Regina's eyebrows have reached her hairline by now.

"I though you didn't do…" Regina trails off after glancing to her side, realizing this might not be the best place to talk about it.

"I know, I don't" Emma picks her line of thought quickly "she was an exception" she bites her lip, hoping her apologizing look conveys her feelings properly.

Henry, oblivious to the tension only presses further. "So, are you guys getting back together?"

Emma sighs and closes her eyes "No, kid, we're not"

Henry frowns "But she just kissed you" he adds and Emma doesn't know where to bury herself.

"Yes" Regina adds, her voice tight "You just kissed"

Emma gives her the 'really? You're going to do this now?' look and Regina has the dignity to look slightly ashamed. Still, it doesn’t prevent her from boring into her eyes as she waits for an answer.

"No- that was just- I mean-"

"Emma!" Lauren, one of her teammates calls her and she thanks whichever god for saving her.

"I gotta go" she says quickly and starts running down the stairs. Not before hearing Henry and Regina call her name at the same time.

"Mom"

"Emma"

She ignores them as she approaches the field. She sends Lauren a thankful look and in return gets her shoulder squeezed in a show of support.

"I got you back" Lauren says with a smile "Now let's go beat them".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like Regina isn't very happy with that show of affection, isn't she? ;) Just some jealous Regina for us all, god knows I love her when she's jealous… Hope you enjoyed it, let me know if you did :P


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here's another chapter. I hope you enjoy this one… For those of you who read Skyline (my other story) and haven't read the new (finally) update, go check it out :)

 

They're almost past half-time yet if you ask Regina what happened in the game so far the answer would be that she has no fucking idea. And why is that? Since she spent the entire first twenty minutes of the game shooting daggers at a certain girl named Ashley.

To say that she is fuming would be an understatement. Her jealousy levels are off the chart. Who does she think she is, just manhandling Emma and kissing her without her asking for it, with her son watching! That inconsiderate, and unfortunately, good looking bitch.

Regina thinks that might be the thing that annoys her the most; this girl is attractive with her brown hair, blue eyes and cheeky smile. And dammit, she has dimples. In addition to all of that, her body isn't anywhere near bulky, she is not manly like most of the other players; she is curvy and defined, just like Emma is.

Regina huffs in annoyance.

She asks Henry for some information about her and the more he tells the more she deflates. According to his stories, she wouldn't necessarily call her a girlfriend but they definitely had a continues thing going on. They fucked enough times for Henry to know who she is. She sneers at the thought but can't stop her mind from visualizing that scenario in her head.

Emma doesn't come up during half-time and Regina start to feel a little guilty for scaring her off like that. That was immature, they hadn't agreed on anything regarding their thing but the fact that at the moment 'they' are not happening. As much as she hates it, she can't expect celibacy out of Emma, not while she isn't giving her anything. Relationships and people don't work like that, you don't just shotgun a person for yourself to keep waiting until you're free to date him.

She continues this line of thought during the third quarter, trying to convince herself well enough to actually convey those lines in a way that would make Emma believe.

She's torn out of her thoughts when she catches a glimpse of the blonde around Ashley. Ashley has the ball and she is running towards the end zone when Emma charges to her side and crashes her in a cringe worthy move into the side-wall.

In a heartbeat there are twenty girls around them and they start shouting. Still, no one goes physical and Emma is on her feet walking away from Ashley, giving her the finger. She turns around and Ashley shoves her from behind. They stand closely, exchanging words with erratic hands motions. Regina can spot their angry faces as they shout insults at each other. The whole crowd goes crazy, cheering, dying to finally see a fight in this, so far, so called, boring game.

They bump chests and foreheads as they keep arguing and all Regina can think of is, please don't get into a fight.

Ashley is the first the throw a punch but Emma doesn't stay in debt for long. In a blink of an eye they're on the ground punching every body part they can reach. Neither one has the upper hand for long; they roll around constantly, alternating the roles of lying on the ground and straddling. Soon the entire field is filled with violence and it takes a good three minutes to separate all of them.

When Emma is pulled away from Ashley she seems in pretty high spirits, she smirking in an amused manner as she watches Ashley struggling to pick herself off the ground.

Emma continues walking to the other direction when Regina spots her spitting blood.

Her fists clench at the sight and she can't stop her motherly instinct to rush over and take care of her. But Emma looks as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened.

Then, one of the line judges lifts the flag for a penalty. Despite it being Ashley's penalty Regina spots Robin signing erratically for Emma to approach him.

Regina's posture stiffens as she watches Robin yell at Emma who merely nods at his accusations. He points towards the bench, probably threatening to take her off the field. Eventually he turns her around and shove her forcefully towards the field and Regina has to remind herself that it's nothing personal, that's how coaches behave during game and it is not personally against Emma.

Still, she can't stop her smile when the whistle is heard and the 'Bliss' are declared the winners of this match with a final result of 31-28. The crowed, most of it local, erupts with applause as the players hug each other forcefully while shouting at the top of their lungs.

Emma, seemingly more excited than embarrassed at the moment turns to wave their way. Regina can spot Henry to her side, jumping up and down excitedly while yelling 'Yeah mom!'

 

***

 

Emma winces when Lori, one of her teammates pulls her into a tight hug.

"Ouch" she exclaims and Lori laughs and let go of her.

"Sorry" she places a hand on Emma's shoulder and squeezes "quite a punch she gave you."

Emma is still rubbing the slightly sore spot while smirking "trust me, she looks worse"

They share a laugh and Emma turns to scan the audience. She spots Henry and Neal immediately, watching them as they make their way down towards the field. Her eyes search for a certain brunette and when she can't find her next to them, she broadens her circle. Eventually she finds Regina next to Robin.

Emma frowns as she watches them talk. They don't look extremely mad but not the other way either. She wonders what they have to talk about and if it's Roland-related or something else. In that moment they both turn to look at her and she stiffens under their gaze. Regina is the one talking now, her hands move animatedly as she makes her point. Robin turns to look at her one last time before reluctantly nodding.

Emma doesn't get the chance to ponder about what just happened when a fast moving object in the form of her son crashes into her forcefully.  

The 'oomph' sound she makes as her breath is forced out of her by the clash isn't lost on Neal, who cringes at the sight and Henry, who looks up and mumbles a 'Sorry'.

"It's okay kiddo" she assures him while she ruffles his head. "Did you see how we kicked their ass?" she asks with a smile and Henry nods enthusiastically.

"Yeah" he agrees and then frowns "but why did you punch Ashley? I thought you guys are girlfriends again."

Emma sighs, of course Henry would stick to that kiss for years now and she would be the one who has to explain to him that, no, she and Ashley are not together.

Why she dated Ashley is still a mystery to Emma. Somehow, from being rivals who used to crash into each other in order to cause pain they turned into this one time hookup that kept happening each and every time they found themselves in the same town.

Emma would sweat her weight to beat them on field and then stumble with her enemy into her bedroom for a night of hot steamy sex. Breaking her one and only rule to keep it casual, Emma was dragged deeper and deeper until the point that hiding Ashley from Henry was impossible. Since she wasn't, for the life of her, introduce her baby boy to the idea of one-night stands she referred to Ashley as her girlfriend.

She still hated Ashley with all of her heart, even when they banged each other but they had this kind of unspoken understanding that the sex was too good to give up on for the time being.

A couple of months ago, at the championship game, that changed. Emma looked at Ashley holding the trophy and smiling smugly at her and realized that _fuck no!_ She is not going to keep doing this to herself nor to Henry or her team. She didn't join the Bliss to lose and that's exactly what she was currently doing.

So when the time came to go home instead of calling Ashley to join her she turned to the crowed and winked at the girl she caught watching her throughout the entire game. She took her home and never looked back.

Some of her teammates told her about Ashley and her rage attack once she saw the two of them get into the car. That was the last time she saw her until today.

Not having any kind of emotional capacity to handle Henry's integration at the moment, she sends a pleading look Neal's way. He catches on pretty quickly and immediately offers a movie night at the cinema. Henry, still at the stage where he could be easily distracted agrees immediately and moves to kiss Emma goodbye.

When she hugs him she locks eyes with Neal and mouths 'Thank you'. He shrugs in response and smiles sheepishly and Emma feels this wave of gratitude wash over her; she has great life, great son, great friends and great ex-baby-maker or whatever Neal is. And hopefully, she has Regina.

Speaking of the brunette, Emma sees her approaching while Henry and Neal wave their goodbyes and head towards the car.

"Hey" she says cheerfully and Regina smiles tightly at her.

"Hello darling" she leans in to kiss her cheek but Emma immediately feels that something is wrong.

She frowns "Is everything okay?" she asks and Regina's look flees to Robin for a moment and she sighs.

"We need to talk."

 

***

 

Emma has been nothing but patient. She sits quietly and waits for Regina to organize her thoughts. Her leg jitters while her usually sharp brain fails to form an appropriate sentence to explain the current situation.

"Is it about Robin?" Emma asks softly while wiping her sweaty forehead and tightening her ponytail.

"It is"

"Okay" Emma nods. "Do you want me to guess what it is?" she inquires after another stretched silence. Regina chuckles at that.

"Thank you Emma but I think I can manage." She assures "I merely need a moment to set it in my head."

Emma lets a long deep breath out.

"You're not divorcing him are you?" she says and as much as she'd probably liked to maintain a stoic expression, the pained disappointment is all over her features.

Regina's heart tightens at that and she immediately rushes to explain.

"Wait that's not what I said." She is quick to assure and Emma stares up at her.

"Then what?"

"I," Regina sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "He is not so reluctant to fulfill my wishes." She grimaces and Emma's face color with irritation.

"Excuse me?" she exclaims "do you want me to have a word with him?" Emma suggests and Regina immediately shakes her head.

"No, I think it would be a very bad idea considering the major role you play in those events."

Emma deflates but eventually nods. "So what are you planning to do?"

"Robin has said that he wouldn't want us to simply throw away what we have. And that despite me claiming that I am sure about this he thinks that I'm merely jumping to action too quickly." Emma opens her mouth to respond but Regina motions her not to with her hand.

"Look, all he wants is a couple of sessions in couple's therapy. We haven't discussed the number just yet but he says that if after those sessions I'd still feel the same way then he'd sign the papers."

 Emma chews her lip in contemplation and when she doesn't come up with any response Regina tries to coax one out of her.

"Well?" she asks, finally meeting the blonde's eyes.

"Well what?"

"What do you think?" Regina tries again.

Emma merely shrugs in response "It's your call, do whatever you want."

"No Emma, please don’t act like that." She pleads.

"Like what? Like I don't matter? Because I don't." she exclaims angrily and Regina shakes her head at that.

"That's not true…"

"Well it obviously is, so why should I voice my opinion if you don't even consider it in the long run?" she reasons while picking up non-existent seams off her tights.

"What do you expect me to do? To say no?"

"I don’t know Regina, if you don't want to then you say no."

"I can't just defy him like this, I need him to be willing in this process. I don't want an ugly separation and if I can avoid it then why not?"

"Maybe because you'll leave my drying out there waiting for you for months and then you'll decide you do want to stay." Emma spits out angrily and Regina's eyebrows shot to her hairline.

"Is that the problem? You think I would change my mind?" she asks incredulously and her heart squeezes at Emma's lack of confidence in herself and what she means to her.

"I don't know, you might and you ask me to just sit and wait for you when I don't even know if I get you in the end."

"Emma-"

"Look, I'm trying to be understating and all, I know it's confusing for you and it's hard and having a kid with him makes it even harder. All I'm saying or asking I guess is that you give me an honest answer. Of course hearing a no now would be very hard and painful but sitting around waiting for you, allowing my feeling for you to grow while you're in a couple's therapy with your husband just to have you come in the end and tell me you've changed your mind, that would be devastating."

Possessed by Emma's raw honesty and fear and by her own swirling emotions she does exactly what she promised herself she wouldn't do; she charges forward and claims Emma's mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I go with the cliffhangers again ;P Let me know what you think?


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, hey guys!
> 
> I know I've been away for so freaking long and I hate it. The thing is, I have college applications to submit and SAT tests to take (And I'm not even American!!!) so you do the math how much time this shit takes out of my day :( Add that to working three jobs and you get a very busy me. This hell is supposed to be over by the end of January… I will try to update every once in a while but I'll be practically dormant until it is over. Then I'll be back in full force.
> 
> One more thing I wanted to talk about was the whole Regina and Robin's therapy thing. Some of you have been dissapointe/angry at my choice to do it. First, I would like to say thank you. There are a lot of trolls out there and every single one of those who expressed unhappiness about that situation have done it in a nice, constructive way. It's appreciated.
> 
> I did answer some of your comments but those coming from guests are at times blocked and I can't comment and explain my point of view, so there it is: Regina and Robin had a home, a family, a whole life; Regina may not love him anymore but she loves their shared son and their happy memories and she respects their history and that is why she is willing to give this to him. She's being respectful and rational and mature and that's what Regina usually stands for. And with all the due respect, she has known Emma for a couple of months in comparison to the years she has known Robin. And I know it's annoying to see, but Regina will do it right and at the end, when they get together it will be taint free.

 

It's not the soft, hesitant kiss they shared weeks ago, it's passionate and daring and claiming.

Emma returns the kiss, combing her hand through Regina's locks and grasping strongly, forcing Regina to stay in place.

Regina swipes her tongue in a silent plea and Emma allows her entrance as she opens her mouth and their tongues rub against one another, sending shivers down Regina's spine. She moans into the kiss, the sound breaking them out of their haze and they part immediately, breathing heavily and staring into each other's eyes.

"What was that for?" Emma breathes out, still catching her breath.

"The answer to your question" Regina still feels her heart thrumming in her chest, from the intense kiss as well as the anticipation for Emma's reaction.

Emma scratches the back of her head, biting her lip and Regina feels this sudden urge to dive back in and bite it herself. But she doesn't, she stays quiet and lets Emma have her moment of thinking.

"How long would it take? Because I don't think I can hold for long after really tasting you."

Regina knows what Emma means by 'taste' but it doesn't stop her body from reacting to the mere thought of doing sexual things with her. She squeezes her thighs together and tries to will those thoughts away. Knowing well that she won’t be able to hold off for long she says

"As short as I can make it" and it's as truthful as it gets.

"Okay" Emma sighs and Regina's heart leaps at the single word. "But," she quickly adds "you keep me informed at all times about how's everything coming along, and I still want to see you as a friend and if comes the case where you feel like this" she gestures to the both of them "isn't what you want anymore, you let me know as soon as possible."

Regina steps closer and places her arms around Emma's shoulders, looking into her eyes while answering all of her demands one after the other "I will, of course and it will never happen" she leans in for a quick pack, pulling away before they get the chance to deepen it.

Emma looks at her for a long moment before nodding.

"Alright"

"What are you doing tonight? Celebrating with the girls?" Regina asks as casually as possible.

"I was hoping to celebrate with one specific girl" Emma winks "But I don't think it's the smartest idea after… you know."

"Yes I understand" Regina clears her throat, feeling her cheeks warm up at the thought of her and Emma alone, celebrating, in a hotel room "and I agree, we should probably keep away until we have it all back together. Maybe meet in safe places like the coffee shop or have our kids with us."

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea."

They nod at each other until Emma's phone blips and she fishes it out of her back pocket. She read the text quickly and looks at Regina.

"Well I better go then, the girls…" she says apologetically and Regina waves it off immediately.

"Of course, have fun"

Emma takes a step forward, perhaps to kiss her again, but then thinks the better of it. Instead, she waves sheepishly and leaves the room.

Regina lets out a long held breath.

"God" she mumbles to an empty room filled with football equipment.

 

***

 

Emma celebrates that night. She celebrates beating the 'Temptations', she celebrates a possible future with Regina.

She has eyes for no one and the disappointed looks from her teammates who were expecting a horror show (in the good way) do nothing to stomp those feelings of achievement, of progress, down.

Her phone buzzes and she snorts when she sees Ashley's name on it. She shoves it back in her pocket, unanswered, and grabs another beer.

In the morning, with no more music nor alcohol, things seem less optimistic and all of her previous worries come right back, settling nicely in her head.

She drags herself out of bed and into her kitchen, hands working on robot mode as she prepares her morning coffee. One she can't definitely live without.

It's a chilly morning, still not quite 'springy' as it should be. She wraps a large Bliss sweatshirt tightly around her form and takes a sit in one of the two chairs she managed to fit in the tiny balcony. 

She sips it slowly, allowing the scolding liquid warm her throat and stomach and gradually her whole body.

She doesn't get to do it that much, she realizes. Not when Henry's around or when she ushers a poor girl out of the house so she doesn't accidently bumps with Henry.

It's awfully quite; almost eerie at how much thinking room it allows her. She ponders things she didn't get the chance of pondering so far. Not sugar-coating anything but simply thinking and worrying about repercussions. It hadn't occurred to Emma until that moment that Robin is her coach. Yes, it's not her job, she is not getting paid for it, but it is a major part in her life; a part Robin can easily sabotage, as the person in charge of the team and therefor of Emma herself.

What if he can't separate his personal life from the field? What if perusing something with Regina will get her kicked out? Sure, not immediately and not so bluntly, but less and less time of the field mixed with bringing another chick could very well push her out eventually.

This is not some amateur women basketball league, she can't just drive to a different neighborhood and play there, this is LFL, there so many places where it actually plays out, none of those anywhere remotely close to Chicago.

Is Robin a true professional or just oblivious to this route of actions? There is no way for her to know the answer to that without evoking those feelings or bring it under his consideration.

Is the mere possibility of a relationship with Regina, one she is not certain that will even work out, with a woman who hasn't dated, or even looked at woman until Emma; is that worth the risk?

She decides it's not an immediate worry; only time would tell. So many things can shift and alter, starting from Regina's will to leave Robin, Robin success as the coach and the guarantee of his position for the years to come, their success as a team, Emma's success as a player and the list goes on.

She sighs, closes her eyes and tries to calm the swirling thoughts in her head. What the hell happened to a calm Friday morning?

 

***

 

Regina cleared her throat from where she was sitting. Robin turned to look at her and his whole face lit up. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Robin always had the tendency to underestimate emotions and overestimate time's effect on wearing those emotions down.

He set next to her.

"You made it" he stated, almost surprised.

"I said I would" she replied, her hand fishing for her phone. She turned the screen away from him to look at the incoming message.

**_Emma_ ** _\- A movie after?_

She tamed her smile down and quickly typed a positive response.

She called earlier that day, letting Emma know that they're starting their therapy today. She thought it was better Emma heard of this in advance, just so they don't fall between the chairs again with the whole trust issues thing.

She was still strong minded about wanting to get out of this overdue marriage but thinking more about it made her realize that leaving Robin after fixing or at least discussing their problems would create a better growing space for Roland and for her as well.

Dating Emma while Robin is angry could very well shade their relationship if not completely sabotaging them by objecting.

She is no fool thinking Robin is just going to give up, but mostly he is a man of his word and won't put up much fight if she's genuine and trying.

They set in silence, each staring at the space aimlessly when the door opened.

A man and a woman left the room but Regina had no time to actually look them since the therapist's head popped out.

"Please come in"

Regina set as far away from Robin as possible. The couch, of course hadn't allowed much space between the two of them but still.  

"So" the therapist took a seat right in front of them, a bright yellow block conveniently placed in his lap.

"My name is Dr. Archibald Hopper, but you can call me Archie." He smiled and fixed his perched glasses. "I'm a psychologist with a specialty in couple's therapy or treatment, whichever you like to call it."

When nothing else followed, he shifted in his chair to get more comfortable and with a pan in hand he looked at the two of them.

"How about we start with your names?"

 

***

 

"Ridiculous," Regina huffed "it was absolutely ridiculous."

"Why?" she asked while they waited in line for the ticket-booth.

"Well for a start, I don't think anyone should display their dirty laundry like that, those are personal matters." She shook her head and Emma waited silently for her to continue "and the questions, ugh!" she made a face.

"Personal?" she tried and the brunette nodded.

"Are you sleeping in the same bed, how often do you have sex, how would you describe your sex life…" she motioned with hand as an et cetera.

Emma stiffened, slightly uncomfortable by the mixed emotions she was feeling; the urge to know more and the fear of knowing more. Then there was this wave of warmth at thinking of Regina and sex together. Emma wasn't used to being deprived of her sexual desires and the people she desired, but somehow knowing Regina isn't available yet but still wanting her intensified her crave for the brunette beauty.

It's as almost like she forgot looking at Regina as a sexual being, a desired woman and only looked at her as a person who matters to Emma, as a friend but also as more.

When the two clicked together in her head she felt an urge to lean forward and kiss Regina, kiss her and then do all sorts of unspeakable things to her.

"Emma?" Regina called, looking suspiciously at what probably is a very turned on looking Emma.

She scanned Regina, eyes glazing over her curves, imagining what it would be like taking it all off.

"Are you alright?" Regina's voice is less sure, almost embarrassed.

"Yeah, I was just-" she shakes her head, shooing those thoughts away. Not now, not until this mess in untangled. "Floating away" she finishes lamely.

Regina lifts an eyebrow at her, daring her.

Emma clears her throat and looks ahead and Regina drops it.

As the evening unfolds Emma realizes that she's unleashed a beast that she can't seem to re-tame.

They near the end of the LFL season and the games are frequent and more tension filled. They're violent and filled with fouls and fights and every win counts.

Emma doesn't worry about winning the eastern teams; they have that in the bag. She worries about the all-around championship, the game against the LA Temptations. The one that actually matters. Just one trophy to put under their name, that's all she wants.

The practice five times a week instead of three, and on her free days she goes out for a run, lifts weights and exhaust herself to death. Regina joins for those 'personal trainings' under the claim of wanting to get back in shape. In reality all she does is stare at Emma's muscles contract and sweat drip down her exposed skin.

It's on one of those days when Regina asks from her seat.

"Why do you lift so much? I mean I know you need to tackle but you're a wide receiver, there's no need for you to lift-" she looks at the white print on the weights and eyebrows shot up "that much."

Emma places it on the floor, breathing heavily.

"I do need it" she says and Regina frowns.

"What for?"

And then, without thinking too much she charges forward; hands circling Regina's thighs she hosts Regina up in the air, her gasps bouncing of the wall.

They're inches apart.

"So I can do this" she whispers, eyes dropping to Regina's lips and back up to catch her do exactly the same. She walks to the nearest wall and collides Regina's back against it, knocking the breath out of her.

"And this" she says seductively, eyes dilating. "You know, once we…" she trails off and Regina's breath is labored and her eyes are closed when Emma finishes "So I can fuck you senseless"

Regina's moan goes straight to her lower abdomen.

But Emma drops her then, facing Regina's disappointed expression as she backs away.

"Once you end things with Robin of course" she says and squats down, re-positioning herself next to the weights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think? :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Believe me, no one hated that mini hiatus more than I did, but now I'm back! Done with the applications and tests and everything else that kept me away from that story and from Skyline (my other story). Thank you for being patient and understanding.
> 
> This chapter is not extremely long (I really wanted you to have something to read already) but it's pretty significant. I hope you enjoy it, don't forget to let me know what you think :)

 

 It's their ninth session when she finally breaks.

They talk about problem solving, about facing difficulties and overcoming them.

"But you can't-" she barges in, her fingers clasping her nose-bridge "I understand there are problems and there are solutions" she says after taking a calming breath "I agree with the perception that most problems can be worked around and solved."

"Exactly-" Robin starts to say but she stops him again.

"But not this one" she exclaims.

"And why is that?" Dr. Hopper asks gently, trying to keep the momentum of sharing going.

"Because I don't love you!" she calls out "not anymore. How can you fix that? Make me love you again?" she asks sarcastically.

She watches Robin's face crumble. Soon it's replaced by anger.

"It's Emma isn't it? You don't love me because you love her!"

She wants to roll her eyes at his stupidity, at the childish perception.

"No" she drawls slowly "I stopped loving you long before I even met Emma. Me wanting to be with her has nothing to do with me not wanting to be with you."

He frowns, so she continues.

"I want out of this marriage. This is not some kind of you hurt me, please apologize type of problem. It's not even a problem, it's simply a fact; I don't love you anymore, I don't want to be with you. I said so from the start and nothing has changed after weeks of treatment. I respected your wishes, set here and let a stranger hear about everything you and I do wrong despite not wanting to. I did this so I can be honest with myself saying that I've tried everything. Now, I expect you do the same for me. I'm done. I tried, it failed and I want a divorce. And I want you to keep up to your word just like I kept mine."

She stands up, looking at a shocked Robin and an helpless looking Dr. Hopper.

She turns to him "Thank you for your time, but your service is no longer needed."

He stares at her and eventually nods. Then she looks at Robin.

"I may not love you that way anymore, but I still respect you. I hope you respect me as well. Please don't make it more difficult than it already is."

And she's out the door, her walk fast and she dares say light, free.

She doesn't bother phoning Emma. She walks straight to her house and knocks impatiently on the door. When Emma opens the door, surprised to see her, she smiles broadly.

"It's done" is all she says and before Emma gets the chance to question she jumps on her and kisses her breath away. 

It's painful and excruciating but they don't advance beyond heated kisses. They pull themselves apart, eyes promising and hearts hoping that everything will solve itself out easily and quickly.

 

***

 

"Okay" Robin grabs a chair to sit on, his front leaning against the chair's backrest. "This is it, this is the game" he looks intently at every player in the circle.

"You fight hard. Go forward, be ambitious, fast, strong but don't run forward without a plan. We train and we learn moves for a reason; use your head, combine it with your skills and let's beat the crap out of those California Barbies" he spits out and all the girls cheer.

Emma's just finishing the steps on her pre-game ritual; orange and blue strips on her cheeks, a tiny outfit containing a bra and cheeky underpants on and she's ready to go.

They step out on the field, the crowed is theirs and is cheering like crazy. They wave towards the enthusiastic people, mostly containing objectifying men, lesbians and true lovers of the sport.

Green eyes scan the crowed and finally land on familiar faces. Not so far from the field Henry and Neal are sitting, with an obnoxious amount of candy that she will deal with later, waving enthusiastically at her. To their right she spots Regina, sitting primly, her attire completely sticking out. Next to her she spots an ecstatic looking Roland who keeps looking around in awe.

Regina simply nods, her smirk promises fine fine things for their after party.

Robin gave up. It took a couple of weeks of begging and trying to change Regina's mind again and again but Regina held strong and with stoic expression and presidential verbal skills finished the whole thing for good.

Emma kept away, not wanting to upset anyone involved, as well as wishing to keep herself out of the equation. Regina and her, they have their own equation, but it was due to be kept away from Regina and Robin's.

They still talked every couple of days and it only made Emma realize what an inseparable part of her life Regina has become.

It wasn't dirty but unpleasant, as divorces almost always are. Regina got the house, which resolved in an hour long rant on the phone on how messy it was and how Robin was a lazy pig. But at least she got it.

It was overall civilized and Roland was due to spend a significant amount of time with his dad, despite Regina getting the primary custody.

Signing the papers happened days before the game but with the back to back practices and Regina's finals at the university they didn't get a single chance to meet.

But that was bound to change today. Today Regina's schedule is all cleared, Neal has Henry, Robin has Roland and she's about to ravish Regina to the point where she faints.

The only thing left to make this the perfect evening is for them to win this game and take the her first ever Bliss championship.

 

***

 

The whistle is blown and the ladies start running. The tackles are brutal, but so far Emma is out of harm's way. She got close though, close enough for Regina's heart to skip a beat a couple of times since the game has begun.

They're nearing the half time and the score is 22-21 for the Bliss. Though only at the moment since it changes constantly. From what Regina can disclose, they both play brilliantly: there are almost no drops of the ball, resulting in both teams making it to the end-zone multiple times. The game, so it seems, is concentrated primarily on scoring rather than defending. And that is always good news for Emma's safety and therefore, for Regina's constant state of worry.

She has her eyes on Emma, following the blonde's lithe form as she wanders around the spacious field. She couldn't care less about the game at the moment. Well, that's not completely true: she would like Emma in a good mood for their private after party. Her lips quirk up at the thought and her cheeks tint at the prospect of finally getting to have Emma like she wanted to for months now. Despite the sizzling anticipation, Regina can't help but worry. Her desire for Emma is enough to make her go for it, but not enough to completely shut down Regina's insecurities. She's scared of getting Emma naked and then not knowing what to do, she's afraid of her out-of-shape body disappointing a beautifully toned Emma, but the most she is afraid of is her recent inability to orgasm. As if not knowing how to please Emma isn't enough, there's always a pretty decent chance that she will not climax despite Emma's efforts. She's petrified of that hurting Emma in some way, conveying a wrong massage. She shakes her head. Now is not the time for those kind of thoughts, she concludes. Mentally shoving those fears back into their well hidden bottle deep in her mind, Regina tries to refocus on Emma and the game.

Her body tenses, anger rushing though her veins, when she finally locates the blonde. Emma is having what seems to be a pretty intimate fight/flirtation (god knows she can't differentiate between the two anymore). That Ashley is right in her personal space, smirking while saying god knows what to her. Emma doesn't move, she holds her stance. Regina knows that she has to, but it doesn't stop her hands from fisting into tiny white balls. She wonders to herself if hitting Ashley would hurt her at all. Emma says something back and Ashley's smirk is wiped off her face. Regina smiles and sits straighter, watching Ashley's frustration with utter glee.

Eventually they part, not before shoving each other a little until a penalty is thrown their way.

 

***

 

"Come on Swan!" Robin screams from the sidelines when she hunches forward, leaning on her knees for support. She is completely exhausted. She has made the end zone four freaking times yet it doesn't seem to be enough since Ashley goes on and evens out the score a minute after Emma crosses the blessed white line. They're still ahead. Though 39-36 gives them some breathing space, one false move on their side accompanied with a successful touchdown will quickly flip the scale. With that knowledge in her head and Robin screaming to her left, she lifts herself up and tries the ignore the throbbing pain in her knee (from crashing to the grass with one of her rivals while reaching for the ball) and her tired screaming muscles. _You will need them for later_ , she smiles to herself and risks a glance Regina's way. When they lock eyes she allows her eyes to roam and her brain to be filled with desire just for a quick moment. She winks, amused when she spots Regina's obvious discomfort at the public gesture. She chuckles and starts to jog lightly towards the rest of the team.

Emma has no idea how, but she manages to predict the Temptation's next move in a matter of seconds, charge all the way to a sprinting Ashley on her way to another touchdown, and grab onto shoulder pads. She doesn't hold there for long, her elbows hit the ground forcefully, making her wince, but it seems to be enough to mess with Ashley's balance and the brunette tries to right herself for a few more strides before falling to the ground. She grasps to ball tightly, refusing to let it roll away but it's enough for Lara, one of teammates, to reach her and stop the move completely.

The crowd cheers loudly and Emma lies on her back, letting out a relieved laugh when she realizes that this was Temptation's last chance of trying to even the score. With less than a minute left for the match Emma efficiently eliminated the chance of the rivals scoring a touchdown. It is over. It's their turn now and they just need to keep the ball on their side for them to win the game.

She's already receiving strong pats and shoulder squeezes from her teammates, but she shakes it all off and concentrates on the game. Screwing up last minute due to lack of focus is the worst possible scenario. Worse than losing just because they weren't good enough.

"Focus" she screams in unison with Robin, both seem to understand the risk of getting excited too soon.

They play their most basic move of passing the ball from one player to another as safely as possible. Eventually the whistle blows and the game is over. Emma doesn't get to process that when the entire teams is running towards her, knocking her to the ground. She groans at the pressures on her lunges but it's soon replaced with laughter when she realizes that they fucking won.

The crowed is roaring when they finally let her _breath_ and she waves enthusiastically at them. She spots Henry and Neal cheering up and she blows a kiss to her beautiful baby boy. Her stare moves a little to their right to meet with an adorably excited Roland and a smiling Regina. She wants to stand there and wave for them forever but her name is called and she's drawn to a tight group hug.

They're still standing and firing the crowd's continues applause and whistles when a hand snakes around her bare heaving stomach.

"Nice move" Ashley whispers in her ear "Wanna fuck tonight? I'll let you top" her voice drops seductively and teeth graze her ear.

She smiles to herself and then places her hand on Ashley's, moving it away from her stomach.

"No thanks" she turns to face Ashley's disappointed expression. She smirks and turns to looks at Regina. The brunette is watching the two of them like a hawk, her fists resting at the sides of her body. _She's so jealous_ , Emma notes amusedly and she finds it so very sexy. She bites her lip in anticipation of what's to come that night. She shrugs and spares Ashley one last look.

"I'm fucking someone else tonight"


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: sexy times.

 She glances at her phone.

It has been nearing the hour mark since the whistle was blown. There were celebrations on the field, the girls topping each other on the grass violently as a form of enthusiasm (go figure). Then, Emma moved to Henry and Neal and spent some time with them before they took off to their usual 'guys' night'. Ever the daughter of a politician Regina waited patiently, understanding the importance of Emma's attention towards her family. She, in return, accompanied Roland to his very happy father. It was awkward, she will admit, but not as bad as she thought it would be. Regina still believes with all her might that Robin's clinginess towards their marriage was an outcome of a habit being broken rather than love for her; a thesis easily proven by his rather quick recovery.

They exchanged pleasantries, double-checking their shared schedule for the upcoming week and when that part was over Regina happily left her smiling son with his dad and headed back to where the Swans were located.

Frowning in confusion at their absence, she turned around and spotted Kayla, one of Emma's closer teammates, asking her about Emma's whereabouts.

"Oh, she went to shower and get changed" Kayla provided with a smile "She asked me to tell you to wait for her near the locker rooms".

Legs crossed at the ankles, back leaning against the wall, Regina waits patiently for Emma. Though her patience is quickly wearing off, considering the continuous stream of girls coming out of the room but none of them being a certain blonde.

They all look at her and smile knowingly and she has the decency to turn slight pink under their gazes. They all know what's going on, she's sure, and have known since day one. Still, acknowledging it doesn't make it any less embarrassing when it actually happens.

Eventually, the stream of girl ceases, and Regina can't help but roll her eyes at the fact that only Emma has yet to leave the room. She glances at her phone again, huffing and putting it back in her purse. She purses her lips and folds her arms when she finally hears a noise from inside the locker room.

She's preparing herself for some reprimanding, but when the door opens Regina doesn't get the chance to voice a word when a fresh smelling Emma dives in for a kiss. Her mind instantly goes blank when Emma's hands circle her thighs, hoisting her up. A moan ripples through her throat when her back is smashed against the wall.

"Don't assume you're off the hook" she huffs when Emma moves to molest her neck "I'm still mad that you made me wait this long" her face contorting when the visual of Ashley's hands circling Emma's waist pops in her head, agitating her further.

"Don't worry" Emma's voice is slightly muffled by Regina's skin "We'll fix that" she smiles against her neck, hands kneading Regina's behind. The brunette bites her lips to stop the groan that threatens to come out.

"Here?" she asks. Honestly, with her brain overloaded with desire, the exact location doesn't really matter to her. But Emma seems to think differently. She places a couple of kiss on Regina's mouth and then steps away.

"Your place or mine?"

 

***

 

They're stumbling through her apartment, hands gripping clothed bodies. It is really no surprise -with the such _little_ amount of attention they pay to actually navigating themselves around her place- that Emma finds her head colliding with the wall, producing a loud thud. Regina snorts into her mouth and they break apart to laugh.

Emma groans, with a smile still plastered on her face, while rubbing her head. She pouts at when she feels the slight bump in the sore spot. Though her attention is easily pulled towards Regina's smiling face. So beautiful, so up-close, the brunette examines her with twinkling eyes.

"Are you alright?" she questions, the laughter still quite evident in her voice.

"I am" she dives back in and steals a kiss.

They learn from their mistakes and separate just for the short distance left to cross to reach Emma's bedroom.

Once they make it into the room Emma's urgency fades away. Instead, she steps closer, hands snaking around Regina's hips, and kisses the brunette softly.

"Are you okay?" it's Emma's turn to ask. She hasn't forgotten, even for a moment, that all of this is new to Regina. It is, in some way, also new to her. Not used to mix physical pleasure with emotions she finds herself nervous of somehow failing her partner. She doesn't like that feeling very much.

Regina bites her lip, eyes unfocused, while Emma looks at her intently.

"I am, I'm just-" she stops to organize her thoughts and then continues "I've been having difficulties achieving…" Regina struggles, abruptly closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Regina opens her eyes, determined to get this awkward part over with "I'm not orgasming for a while now so don't feel like it's your fault if I can't-" she clears her throat "you know…" she shrugs and it takes Emma about a second to process that information. She chuckles and kisses Regina's forehead. When she pulls back she finds a confused Regina staring at her.

"You're going to come" she answers Regina's unvoiced question "multiple times" she promises and Regina's cheeks tint adorably.

"Emma…" she starts but the blonde isn't having any of it.

"Regina," she says sternly

"you're coming" she insists

"and then again" she leans in and nibbles Regina's jaw

"and again" she moves to assault her olive-toned neck

"and again" her lips quirk up against the skin when she hears Regina snort. Nonetheless, she continues down to her collarbones

"and again" she teases and then scraps her teeth while her hands take care of Regina's dress.

"Shut up" Regina admonishes, but it's airy and lacks its usual bite.

"Mmm" Emma moans when the dress falls down, gathering at the brunette's waist "So beautiful"

Emma can picture Regina's doubtful look at her compliments but she is just going to have to deal with it. Emma is not going to stop ravishing her anytime soon, the brunette is simply gorgeous.

They get rid of their clothes, ending up in their underwear and Emma can't stop the appreciative hum that ripples through her throat at the mounds and curves of Regina's body. She moves closer and hoists her up -in the way she has already learned that Regina likes so much- and moves them both to the bed. They collide with the mattress and Regina's air is pushed out of her lungs when Emma leans her body on hers.

She picks herself up and scans Regina's tousled appearance. There is so much she wants to do to her, kinky stuff, role play, tease and denial, all of them pushing from the back of her mind, tempting her to pick them. But she shoves them away, opting on simply admiring the brunette. At least for the first couple rounds.

 

***

 

Her mind floats in a cloud of ecstasy. She can barely leave her eyes open when the waves of pleasure get too much to handle.

She groans when Emma tugs her nipple, grazing her teeth over it. The moister is all gone from every part of her body, concentrating in her groin. Her center is pulsing with desire, demanding attention. But Emma's seems oblivious to her needs it seems, in the most torturous of ways. The blonde started her descend (feels like hours ago) but the progress was quickly stopped when Emma took extreme liking to her boobs. Focusing on them like they were the tastiest thing in the whole world, Emma took it on herself to cover every inch of Regina's chestal area: licking, sucking, biting, until Regina was turned into a squirming hot mess.

At first Regina frowned at Emma's fascination and target of focus. She hasn't experienced much pleasure from that area unless it was a well-timed pinch while already on her way to an orgasm, but it was never the act itself that brought her so unbelievably close to the edge.

She tried to shove Emma's head down, the new, unfamiliar sensations of pleasure proving to be too little and too much at the same time, but the blonde just wouldn't relent.

"Emma" she chastises breathily, her words transforming into moans at the end "I can't" her tone is almost whiny, but she couldn't care less "I need you down there" she insists, her cheeks reddening at the rudeness of her request. She never asked for something that bluntly in the bedroom before, but Emma has managed to reduce her whole being to a throbbing center begging for release.

"Gimme a minute" Emma says and smile so infuriately up at her.

She groans in response, trying to bring her legs closer for some friction but ending up hitting Emma's form in the process. Deprived of some release, she snaps.

"Let go of my boobs" she grits, annoyed and plainly frustrated.

"But I love them" the blonde whines in return and Regina has enough sarcasm left in her to roll her eyes at the immature response. She opens her mouth, ready –shamefully so- to beg again but all that is leaving her mouth is a sigh of relief when she feels Emma's mouth descends lower. Pink lips ghost over her ribs, dip into her stomach and lightly bite above bone of her left hip. Her back arches off the mattress at the there, yet not so quite there, pleasure.

"Emma!" she practically yells when the blonde settles between her thighs, but focusing on her inner thighs instead. "Fuck me already!"

She finishes that statement with a gasp when a warm, wet mouth finally, _finally_ , settles on her expecting center.

"AHHH" she shrieks in an embarrassingly high tone when Emma's tongue starts performing what could only be described as magic down there. Shaking hands move down, fingers combing through blonde hair, fists tightening seconds later when Regina tumbles over the edge. Her body is still arched when Emma plunges two fingers in, taking advantage of Regina's haze to bring her near the peak yet again. And Regina, Regina is so overwhelmed by the months upon months of built frustration  all resolved in one intense orgasm that she isn't even slightly surprised when she comes again minutes after, with Emma's slim fingers pumping in and out of her relentlessly.

You'd think Emma would let her breathe. Five minutes, no more. But you'd be wrong.

Emma moves up, kissing every patch of skin available, nibbling her sensitive nipple on her way up (and eliciting a low hum of pleasure from the spent brunette) all while leaving traces of wetness, Regina's wetness all over. She moves to kiss her lips, traces of arousal still evident as her tongue dances with Regina's.

They trade lazy kisses while Regina tries to grab some hold of her limbless body. Emma, however, seems to dislike that idea.

"What are you doing?" she asks breathily, eyes fluttering close when Emma's fingers start ghosting over the swollen, sensitive folds. Regina doesn't think she ever came that many times in one night, and god, they just started.

"Mmm" Emma kisses the corner of her lips and then moves to a deep, toe curling smooch.

"Multiple, remember?" Emma reminds her after a minute or so of silent ministrations.

"You're taking it too seriously" she determines, but her legs open wider, inviting Emma in. Teeth sink into her lower lip when Emma's finger curve up and trace the bumps of her inside walls. "Let me do you" she sighs but her body is giving to the pleasure without much hesitance.

"Later" Emma mumbles and that's the last thing they say for a while.

Emma plays her body like a musician plays his tool: fast and slow, soft and then rough right when it's right and Regina's body and soul submit themselves over and over until her mind drifts away, exhausted.

When she wakes up after what could be hours or minutes, she has no way of knowing, she's reenergized just enough to slap away Emma's hands.

"No" she's harsh when she throws her leg over Emma's hips "My turn."

 

***

 

She can't put it into words. The hunger, the passion, and at the same time serenity and wholeness she feels when being with Regina. So fulfilling that what starts as an inner promise she has made to herself turns to the simplest instinct; wanting to pleasure Regina again and again, just to see her glazed eyes, to hear her intake of breath when it get almost too good to handle, the calmness that washes over her once it's done. She is so beautiful and deserving of it and Emma is reminded of that with each and every arch of her back or spasm of muscles.

It makes her happy, simple as that, to see Regina happy; and that's why she doesn't stop, doesn't stop until Regina's eyes roll back and even then, her hands continue to ghost over olive skin, dipping into and climbing over every nook and mound as she covers each and every inch of Regina's body.

When Regina finally wakes up she shoves her on her back -her eyes fiery, daring her to argue- and takes charge. Her lack of experience doesn't matter in the slightest. Emma finds herself pushed closer to the edge just by knowing that it's Regina's fingers caressing her, plunging into her, curling inside her. She comes hard, waves of pleasure accompanied by a feeling of warmth in her chest, a kind so different from the heat in her lower belly. She comes down from her high with Regina's body draped over hers and it's so abundantly clear that she's head over heels for the woman currently nesting her face between her neck and shoulders.

The absurdity of it all is that she isn't in the slightest scared, and the normal flight or fight response she usually possess in those moments of real importance are completely absent.

 


	12. Chapter 12

“Hands off, Romeo” she mumbles into the pillows as the soft hands circling her waist descend towards the junction of her thighs. 

"Why?” Emma practically whines in her ear, her warm breath caressing her neck.

"I’m sore” she mumbles as she shimmies a little closer to the body flushed against her. Soft skin meets hers, from pelvis all the way to her shoulders, and stiff peaks graze her back. 

"Mmm” she hums, helpless to the wave of arousal that washes over her “Someone is excited” she teases, her voice groggy and laced with sleep.

"Oh, you bet I am” Emma says, a trace of a smile easily detected in her voice, and her hands dip lower.

"I said no” she reprimands, slapping Emma’s hands.

"Come on!” Emma pleads and Regina can’t help thinking her wife is just like a man, she always has sex on her mind. “I need it” she adds and Regina feels her nod against her shoulder. 

"You _need_ it?” she snorts “And why is that?” she inquires. This outta be interesting.

"I need some compensation” the blonde argues, thin lips brushing her shoulder and her body reacts to it without permission.

"What for? You won last night” she exclaims and a hand pushes her on her back. A smooth leg is thrown over her form in a matter of seconds.

"I know,” Emma agrees, looking down at her “but I got hurt” she pouts in a childlike manner, laughing when she spots Regina’s unamused eye roll.

"Don’t remind me of that” she huffs “This Ashley...” she sneers and Emma places a soft kiss on her lips.

"Was just playing the game” Emma finishes in, as her hands ghost over Regina’s ribs, eliciting a gasp.

"We just had sex, like mere hours ago” she reasons but her eyes flutter close when soft fingers tease her nipples.

"I want more” Emma whispers in her ear, then nibbles it in the way she has learned makes Regina putty in her hands.

"Fine” she sighs, her voice a shy of a gasp “be quiet” she orders and Emma’s chuckle rings in her left ear.

"Be quiet?” she asks teasingly “I’m not the one who will need to muffle her moans” she lifts herself up to watch Regina’s face when her hand finally meets with her center.

She bites her forearm just before a groan manages to slip from her mouth and the blonde shakes her head and chuckles.

"Ugh, I love you” she declares and Regina moans in return and arches her back.

"I love you too” she responds once they’re done, and Emma’s body is draped over hers.

"What time is it?” Emma asks, her voice still light and airy from her latest orgasm.

Regina lifts her head up just enough to catch the glowing numbers on their bedside alarm.

"Almost seven” she provides and sighs when her head hits the mattress. “You’d think the sex drive will decrease after four years of marriage” she says in feigned annoyance as Emma lifts herself up “But not with you” she jabs the blonde playfully, the latter shrieking when Regina hits a particularity ticklish spot.

"Want to take a shower together?” Emma suggests, eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

"Seriously?” she asks as she lifts herself into a sitting position “Didn’t you have enough?”

The blonde leans in and plasters a kiss to her forehead “Never” she determines and saunters to the bathroom, leaving Regina to stare at her sculptured back.

Huffing, she gets up and follows her wife to an eventful shower session, one that ends when their kids start knocking on the door, demanding breakfast.

 

***

 

"As if it would kill you to make your own breakfast, you’re almost eighteen” she points at him accusingly.

Henry shrugs in response “Why should I when you can make it for me?” he smiles deviously at her and she narrows her eyes.

"Regina?” she calls “Help please”

"Leave the boy alone” the brunette responds as she storms into the kitchen, stopping to kiss Henry’s head. The boy pokes his tongue out and she shakes her head in disbelief.

"We will cook for him until he goes to college” Regina says and Henry nods along “And then, he’ll starve” she ends with a smirk, moving to the coffee machine to grab herself some caffeine. Emma’s laugh erupts just as Henry’s smile disappears from his face. His eyes go round at that, and a moment later he’s up from his chair, standing next to Emma as she makes some scrambled eggs. This is what happens when the one telling you this is Regina, or as Henry likes to call her, _‘the responsible mom’_.

"Dear lord” she hears her wife say and turns around “No way, honey,” Regina shakes her head as she lowers herself to Roland’s level “We are not mixing blue with green.”

The boy pouts but eventually turns around and heads to his room to change his attire, or at least one piece of it.

 

***

 

“So” she starts when they all sit together around the table, happily munching some eggs and vegetables (since she’d be damned if sugary cereal would be eaten in her house). Emma’s hand sneaks under the table and intertwine with hers, squeezing lightly.

The attention is on her, and she opens her mouth to speak when Emma chimes in.

"How would you feel about having a little brother or a sister?” she asks excitedly and Regina shakes her head at her impatient wife. Both of the boys cheer loudly, rushing around the table to hug them all while demanding to know more.

 

***

 

"There you go” the nurse hands Regina a bundle of blankets. Her wife’s face washes with happiness that couldn’t be described in words, even if she tried. Her eyes shining when she smiles at the little baby girl placed comfortably in her arms.

"Hello” the brunette whispers, a finger caresses her soft cheek “welcome to the world”

She looks at her then, her gaze so loaded that Emma finds herself tearing up as well.

"Let’s say hello to mama” she announces and moves closer to the bed, and places the baby in her arms. Her chest constricts painfully when she looks down at her, a wave of emotions coursing through her body.

"Hey, baby” she says softly and chuckles when sleepy eyes blink lazily, opening just enough to reveal grayish eyes. She knows those would change soon, to blue or (preferably) green. Regina insists it will be green. _I want her to look just like you_ she stressed over and over _Like a mini Emma._

"Come here” she pats the mattress, gesturing to the rather narrow space next to her gown clad body, and Regina complies, squeezing herself in the tiny spot.

"So...” she voices out, turning to look at Regina “Grace?” she inquires, not many words needed for Regina to understand what she’s asking.

"Grace” Regina beams and leans in to kiss her passionately, despite her mussy hair and sweaty face. "I love you” she whispers against her mouth, their foreheads connected.

"I love you so much” she says in return, looking down at the tiny baby in her arms. That’s the moment Roland and Henry barge in, their facial expression switch from excitement to awe, accompanied by gentleness, when they move closer to the baby.

"Her name is Grace” Regina provides and there’s a serenity in her voice that jabs Emma right in the heart.

"Grace Swan-Mills” she says proudly, smiling at her boys.

Regina clears her throat, drawing their attention.

"Mills-Swan” she argues and they all burst with laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I guess this is it… Thank you so much for the lovely attention, for sticking with me even when I disappeared for long periods of time (sorry about that), and most of all, thank you for taking the time to read an unconventional story and support me the whole way!
> 
> I had a blast! Already working on a new one, hopefully, you’ll be there too :)


End file.
